Patent ID: 8740973

Claim:
A method of reducing stent strut fracture problems that can result from repeated bending of said stent in a body passageway comprising: a. selecting a stent having a body portion, said body portion having an unexpanded and expanded cross-section area, a majority of said body portion at least partially formed of biodegradable polymer so as degrade over time when exposed to fluids in the body passageway to thereby remove itself from a treatment site in said body passageway, said body portion includes at least one cavity, said cavity at least partially filled with a biological agent; b. positioning said stent at said treatment site of said body passageway; c. expanding said body portion of said stent in said body passageway to said expanded cross-sectional area; and, d. allowing said body portion of said stent to flex in said body passageway such that continual flexing of said body portion results in at least one fracture in said body portion, said fracturing of said body portion resulting in accelerated degradation of said body portion at the site of said fracture thereby causing accelerated absorption of said body portion in said body passageway.