Patent ID: 7931931

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a stent, comprising: attaching a first group of particles together to form a first porous network; attaching a second group of particles together and to the first porous network to form a second porous network; and attaching a third group of particles together and to the first porous network to form a third porous network, wherein the first porous network is positioned between the second and third porous networks, wherein the average particle size of the first group is greater than the average particle size of the second group so that the first porous network has an average pore size that is greater than the average pore size of the second porous network, and wherein the average particle size of the first group is greater than the average particle size of the third group so that the first porous network has an average pore size that is greater than the average pore size of the third porous network.