A medical device includes a catheter and a stent mounted on the catheter, the
stent
having a hollow, cylindrical body made with a plurality of rings. The rings each
extend circumferentially around the cylindrical body and include an undulating
series of peaks and valleys. The rings are joined together by a series of links
which are shaped and arranged to promote longitudinal flexibility as the stent
is delivered on the catheter and effective scaffolding after deployment. In one
aspect of the invention, the rings are provided with inflection points on some
portions of the rings which extend in a generally circumferential direction for
a short distance. A link is joined at one end at the inflection point on one ring
and also joined at a second end at a second inflection point on an adjacent ring.
This construction allows the crimped stent to flex longitudinally when it is subjected
to bending forces such as those encountered during delivery of the stent and catheter
through a tortuous coronary artery.
