Longitudinally flexible expandable stent

Claim 1

A stent having a sidewall with a plurality of openings therethrough, the stent having a length, the stent comprising a plurality of tubular serpentine bands including: first tubular serpentine bands having alternating peaks and toughs, each first tubular serpentine band having peaks disposed at a distal end of the first tubular serpentine band and troughs disposed at a proximal end of the first tabular serpentine band; and second tubular serpentine bands having alternating peaks and troughs, each second tubular serpentine band having peaks disposed at a distal end of the second tubular serpentine band and troughs disposed at a proximal end of the second tubular serpentine band, the first tubular serpentine bands baiting more peaks and troughs than the second tubular serpentine bands; the first and second tubular serpentine bands alternating along the length of the stent, each first tubular serpentine band which is proximally adjacent to a second tubular serpentine band connected thereto peak to trough at a plurality of locations, each first tubular serpentine band including some peaks which are not directly connected to an adjacent second tubular serpentine band, wherein each of the first and second tubular serpentine bands extends around a whole circumference of the stent and each of the openings in the sidewall is bounded at one end by a portion of a first tubular serpentine band and at another end by a portion of a second tubular serpentine band.