Patent ID: 7128755

Claim:
A non-metallic stent having a furled small-diameter state and an expanded large-diameter state, comprising, in the furled small-diameter state, a plurality of central lobes of approximately the same size arranged in succession at spaced intervals about a central core longitudinally defining a stent axis through said central core, and each said central lobe having at least a single central lobe bounding cord member segment about the periphery thereof, there being a leading end and a trailing end for each said at least single central lobe bounding cord member, the trailing end of each said at least single central lobe bounding cord member, other than the last in the succession, being interfaced to the leading end of the next successive said at least single central lobe bounding cord member; a plurality of peripheral lobes for providing the interface between the leading and trailing ends of said at least single central lobe bounding cord members, each said peripheral lobe having a peripheral lobe bounding cord member segment about the periphery thereof, with each said peripheral lobe bounding cord member segment having a leading end connected to the trailing end of one of said at least single central lobe bounding cord member segments and a trailing end connected to the leading end of one of said at least single central lobe bounding cord member segments so as to adjoin each central lobe; and a plurality of longitudinal rods attached to the sides of said at least single central lobe bounding cord members of said central lobes at multiple points around the periphery of the stent; and, comprising, in the expanded large-diameter state, the peripheral lobes merge into the central lobes.