Patent ID: 8048151

Claim:
A stent for insertion and expansion in a vasculature to support its adjacent vasculature region, the stent comprising: a) a plurality of wires forming an elongated and selectively expandable and constrictable hollow tube, each wire providing a substrate having a cross-section comprising an outside-facing surface portion and an inside-facing surface portion facing a lumen formed by the hollow tube, wherein in an expanded condition, the lumen formed by the hollow tube has a diameter that is greater than when in the constricted condition such that in the expanded condition at least the outside-facing surface portions of the plurality of substrate wires are subjected to both tension forces (+σe) and compression forces (−σe) within an elastic limit of the wires; b) and intermediate coating comprising a plurality of columnar structures, each of the columns having a sidewall extending between a proximal end adhered to the substrate wire and a distal end spaced therefrom, wherein the intermediate coating is characterized as having been adhered to the outside-facing surface portion of at least some of the substrate wires when they were in the expanded condition to thereby provide the intermediate columnar coating on the outside-facing surface portion of the substrate wires in a zero stress state within the elastic limits of the wires with the sidewalls of immediately adjacent columns not contacting each other to thereby provide an area of the substrate wire between adjacent columns that is not contacted by the intermediate coating serving as porosity between the columns and wherein when the hollow tube is in a constricted condition, the intermediate columnar coating on the outside-facing portion of the substrate wires is in a tension condition; c) a cap of a carbon-containing material provided on the distal end of each of the plurality of columnar structures; and d) wherein the porosity provided between each of the plurality of columnar structures is adapted for receiving an elutable material therein.