Patent ID: 7208009

Claim:
A method of fabricating a stent comprising the steps of: a) cutting a stent pattern into a flat sheet, said pattern having a first long side and a second long side, said first long side being provided with a plurality of pairs of engagement points, said second long side being provided with a plurality of pairs of engagement points; b) deforming said pattern into a tubular shape so that said plurality of pairs of first long side engagement points and said plurality of pairs of second long side engagement points are disposed substantially opposite each other and so that a v-shaped notch is formed between the first long side and the second long side between respective pairs of engagement points; c) welding said plurality of pairs of first long side engagement points and said plurality of pairs of second long side engagement points to one another at said v-shaped notch to form said stent such that a weld is created at a location of said v-shaped notch, wherein welding comprises drawing material from the surfaces defining said engagement points to create said weld; and wherein welding further comprises providing an area of weld material on interior walls of the stent wherein providing the area of weld material comprises providing the area of weld materially below the location of said v-shaped notch.