A hybrid stent that is defined as having a central section that is balloon expandable
and end sections that are self-expanding. The entire stent is mounted on a balloon
of a balloon angioplasty catheter. One way to retain the self-expanding portion
of the stent onto a balloon onto which it has been nested is to place a cylindrical
elastomer tube around each of the self-expanding end sections of the stent. Another
way to retain the hybrid stent onto a stent delivery system is to use a conventional
sheath that is pulled back to initiate stent deployment