Patent ID: 6929660

Claim:
A flexible intravascular stent for use in a body lumen, comprising: a plurality of cylindrical rings interconnected to form the stent and a stent longitudinal axis, each cylindrical ring having a first delivery diameter and a second implanted diameter; each cylindrical ring having a plurality of peaks and valleys and a proximal end and a distal end defining a cylindrical wall extending circumferentially between the proximal end and the distal end of the cylindrical ring; and at least one flexible link attaching each cylindrical ring to an adjacent cylindrical ring, the link including a first link portion connected to only one ring and a second link portion connected only to the adjacent ring, and a completely bounded aperture disposed between the first and second link portions and disposed nearer one of the adjacent rings, with the bounded aperture having a major axis and a minor axis, with the major axis disposed generally transverse to the stent longitudinal axis.