Stent and method for manufacturing the stent

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a helical stent includes the steps of providing a stent body with struts disposed about the circumference thereof in turns and with bridges connecting the struts in adjacent turns. The stent body is at least partially expanded and, some time during expansion, some of the bridges, in particular, sacrificial bridges, are removed. A method for implanting this stent includes loading the stent at a stent delivery system, traversing the stent at the delivery system to an implantation site, and implanting the stent at the implantation site.

1 . A method for manufacturing a helical stent, which comprises: 
 providing a stent body with a circumference, with struts disposed about the circumference in turns, and with bridges connecting the struts in adjacent ones of the turns; and    after at least partially expanding the stent body, removing some of the bridges.    
   
   
       2 . The method according to  claim 1 , which further comprises forming the struts in a helix.  
   
   
       3 . The method according to  claim 1 , which further comprises carrying out the removing step by polishing and cleaning the stent body in processes selected from at least one of the group consisting of chemical, mechanical, and electrochemical.  
   
   
       4 . The method according to  claim 1 , which further comprises carrying out the removing step by polishing and cleaning the stent body in processes selected from at least one of the group consisting of abrasive blasting, glass-bead honing, chemical etching, mechanical polishing, electrochemical polishing, grinding, shearing, and cutting.  
   
   
       5 . The method according to  claim 1 , which further comprises, after carrying out the removing step, crimping the stent body onto a balloon catheter.  
   
   
       6 . The method according to  claim 1 , which further comprises, after carrying out the removing step, chilling the stent body and radially compressing the stent body.  
   
   
       7 . The method according to  claim 6 , which further comprises, after carrying out the radially compressing step, retaining the stent body in a compressed state for delivery to an implantation site.  
   
   
       8 . The method according to  claim 1 , which further comprises, after carrying out the removing step, radially compressing the stent body.  
   
   
       9 . The method according to  claim 8 , which further comprises, after carrying out the radially compressing step, retaining the stent body in a compressed state for delivery to an implantation site.  
   
   
       10 . The method according to  claim 1 , which further comprises providing the stent body with connecting bridges and sacrificial bridges each connecting the struts in adjacent ones of the turns.  
   
   
       11 . The method according to  claim 10 , which further comprises carrying out the removing step by partially removing all of the sacrificial bridges.  
   
   
       12 . The method according to  claim 10 , which further comprises carrying out the removing step by removing substantially all of the sacrificial bridges.  
   
   
       13 . The method according to  claim 10 , which further comprises carrying out the removing step to only have connecting bridges at the stent body thereafter.  
   
   
       14 . The method according to  claim 1 , which further comprises providing the stent body with a diameter of between approximately 4 mm and approximately 12 mm.  
   
   
       15 . The method according to  claim 1 , which further comprises providing the stent body with a length of between approximately 10 mm and approximately 250 mm.  
   
   
       16 . The method according to  claim 14 , which further comprises providing the stent body with a length of between approximately 10 mm and approximately 250 mm.  
   
   
       17 . The method according to  claim 1 , which further comprises providing the stent body with s-shaped struts disposed helically about the circumference along helical turns, the struts having straight portions and curved portions connecting at least some of respectively adjacent ones of the straight portions.  
   
   
       18 . The method according to  claim 1 , which further comprises providing the stent body with a finished kerf width of less than 25 microns.  
   
   
       19 . The method according to  claim 1 , which further comprises providing a stent body with a finished kerf width of approximately 18 microns.  
   
   
       20 . The method according to  claim 1 , which further comprises providing the stent body with a pre-cut tubing diameter of approximately 2 millimeters, with a post-cut number of struts per turn equal to 46, with a finished kerf width of approximately 18 microns, and with a post-cut strut width of 119 microns.  
   
   
       21 . The method according to  claim 1 , which further comprises: 
 providing the bridges with an initial curvature shape; and    controlling expansion of the stent body to substantially retain all of the initial curvature shape of the bridges.    
   
   
       22 . A method for implanting a stent, which comprises: 
 providing a helical stent according to  claim 1;     loading the stent at a stent delivery system;    traversing the stent at the delivery system to an implantation site; and    implanting the stent at the implantation site.    
   
   
       23 . The method according to  claim 22 , which further comprises carrying out the implantation step by implanting the stent in a blood vessel.  
   
   
       24 . The method according to  claim 22 , which further comprises carrying out the implanting step by expanding the stent at the implantation site.  
   
   
       25 . The method according to  claim 23 , which further comprises: 
 providing the stent as a balloon-expanding stent; and    expanding the stent with a balloon of a stent delivery system.    
   
   
       26 . The method according to  claim 22 , which further comprises: 
 providing the stent as a self-expanding stent; and    carrying out the implanting step by allowing the stent to self-expand at the implantation site.    
   
   
       27 . The method according to  claim 1 , which further comprises: 
 providing the bridges with an initial curvature shape; and    controlling expansion of the stent body to substantially retain all of the initial curvature shape of the bridges.