A tubular stent that uniformly scaffolds vessel tissue within a region that significantly
changes diameter or transverse dimension. The invention may be practiced in lumens
that taper in either retrograde or antegrade directions, and the transverse dimensional
change may be relatively linear or flared. A catheter for delivering the stent
of the invention may include a balloon having a comparably flared shape and an
inverse conical distal end. This abstract is provided to comply with the rules
requiring an abstract which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain
the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding
that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
37 CFR 1.72(b).