Patent ID: 6893458

Claim:
A self-expanding stent having longitudinal flexibility for implanting in a body lumen and being expandable from a compressed condition to an expanded condition, comprising: a plurality of adjacent cylindrical elements made from a self expanding material, each cylindrical element having a circumference extending around a longitudinal stent axis and being substantially independently expandable in the radial direction, wherein the plurality of adjacent cylindrical elements are arranged in alignment along the longitudinal stent axis and form a generally tubular member, each cylindrical element including alternating valley portions and peak portions which form a space between adjacent valley portions that allows a peak portion of an adjacent cylindrical element to nest with the formed space without the same peak portion nesting directly into an adjacent peak portion when placed in a collapsed position, the cylindrical elements at each end of the stent being formed in a generally serpentine wave pattern having a plurality of double curved portions which form the outermost edge of the stent; and a plurality of interconnecting members extending between the adjacent cylindrical elements and connecting the adjacent cylindrical elements to one another, wherein some of the interconnecting members are aligned collinearly with respect to each other to form a continuous spine which extends along the length of the stent.