APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MINIMIZING FLOW DISTURBANCES IN A STENTED REGION OF A LUMEN

摘要

A stent according to the present invention incorporates an intraluminal scaffold for initial relief of stenoses or for providing support within bodily lumens, such as blood vessels, of children and adults. The scaffold minimizes flow disturbances in a stented region of a bodily lumen by the use of a strut having a transitional lumen surface, thereby limiting the potential for the development of neointimal hyperplasia and subsequent restenosis, and lessening the potential for early and late thrombosis formation and dislodgement. Any stent for use in any application can be initially- manufactured with the strut shape of the current invention. Alternatively, the shape of the struts of existing stents can be modified during a post -processing procedure after fabrication thereby making the invention applicable to all stent designs presently available.