Patent ID: RE40122

Claim:
An expandable stent-graft comprising: (a) a braided self-expanding stent characterized by a longitudinal shortening upon radial expansion from a first longitudinal stent length to a second longitudinal stent length; and (b) a least one tubular layer of biaxially oriented expanded polytetrafluoroethylene comprising nodules and fibrils affixed to the stent characterized by a shortening of average longitudinal inter-nodule distance upon radial expansion from a first average longitudinal inter-nodule distance to a second average longitudinal inter-nodule distance and having (i) a first average longitudinal inter-nodule distance of between about 50 and about 150 microns, and (ii) a second average longitudinal inter-nodule distance of between about 0 and about 50 microns; wherein the ratio of first longitudinal stent length to second longitudinal stent length is within about 25 percent of the ratio of first average longitudinal inter-nodule distance to a second average inter-nodule distance.