A stent comprises one or more circumferential serpentine bands and having alternating peak portions and trough portions. The peak portions include shorter peak portions and longer peak portions. The longer peak portions are of a longitudinal extent greater than the shorter peak portions. The longer peak portions include first bent peak portions which extend in a first direction non-parallel to the longitudinal axis of the stent and second bent peak portions which extend in a second direction non-parallel to the longitudinal axis of the stent. Each first bent peak portion is circumferentially adjacent to one second bent peak portion which points toward the first bent peak portion and to one second bent peak portion which points away from the first bent peak portion. Adjacent first and second bent peak portions which point toward one another are separated one from the other by at least one shorter peak portion.