Patent ID: 7195648

Claim:
A self-expanding stent comprising: a small diameter skeletal tubular member having a thin wall and a longitudinal axis; said wall of said skeletal tubular member includes a plurality of cells which are formed by a plurality of interconnected sinusoidal members, said plurality of sinusoidal members are generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of said skeletal tubular member and in which no substantial portion of said sinusoidal members extends in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said tubular member when the tubular member is expanded, said sinusoidal members are generally parallel to each other, and each of said plurality of sinusoidal members has a plurality of positive and negative peaks; the positive peaks of said sinusoidal members are connected to the negative peaks of adjacent sinusoidal members so as to form a repeating pattern of cells along the skeletal tubular member; and wherein a junction is formed at an end of the skeletal tubular member where a positive peak of one of said sinusoidal members is connected to a negative peak of an adjacent one of said sinusoidal members, a longitudinal leg member extends from said junction in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the skeletal tubular member and said leg member terminates said connected sinusoidal members, and a helically wound coil is disposed about said longitudinal leg member.