Patent ID: 8277477

Claim:
A stent for treating anatomic occlusions of the nasopharynx and oropharynx, the stent comprising: a central tube having an inner chamber, a first end, a second end and a plurality of openings on its surface; a linkage rod having a first end and a second end, the linkage rod being axially disposed within the inner chamber and adapted for axial movement within the inner chamber; means to control the axial movement of the linkage rod positioned near the first end of the central tube; a plurality of spokes, each spoke connected to the linkage rod and projecting out through an opening on the central tube; each spoke having an inner end, an outer end and being connected to the linkage rod at its inner end; a plurality of ribs, each rib being connected to two or more spokes at their outer ends; and each of the two or more spokes connected to a rib being serially located at different axial positions along the linkage rod.