Patent ID: 8852262

Claim:
A stent formed by slitting a tube with a plurality of slits to create a matrix of struts wherein: struts of the matrix of struts lie parallel to each other and to a longitudinal axis of the tube in a delivery disposition of the stent, the slit tube is radially expandable to a stenting disposition in which the struts exhibit a zigzag pattern in successive loops around a circumference of the stent, an angle each strut makes with the longitudinal axis increases as a diameter of the stent increases, the zigzag pattern exhibits either a tied cusp or a free cusp between any two adjacent struts, each tied cusp of any one loop is connected by a bridge to a facing tied cusp of an adjacent loop, each bridge extends in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tube, free cusps located between any two tied cusps of a loop are not directly connected to the adjacent loop, the matrix of struts are free of significant end to end gaps between facing pairs of intervening free cusps, the zigzag pattern exhibits a lengthwise staggering of circumferentially adjacent slits to the extent that lengths of two circumferentially adjacent struts on the zigzag pattern that flank a tied cusp are different, in a stenting disposition, the free cusps of adjacent loops are circumferentially displaced from each other, a majority, but not all, of the struts in any one of the successive loops share a first common length X, all remaining struts in the one loop share a second common length Y, Y<X and the stent includes a plurality of radiopaque, asymmetric cantilever markers located on an annulus that lies within the length of one end loop of two end loops of the stent.