ABSORBABLE INTRAVASCULAR DEVICES THAT PROVIDE A DECREASE IN RADIAL RIGIDITY OF THE VESSEL OVER TIME

摘要

A vascular stent may be used to maintain or enhance patency of a blood vessel. By using multiple, separate stent elements that are balloon expandable, the multi-element stent may be stronger than a traditional self-expanding stent but may also be more flexible, due to its multiple-element configuration, than a traditional balloon-expandable stent. The stent elements are formed from a bioresorbable polymer material. The radial rigidity of the stent is configured to decrease after implantation in a vessel as the polymer is absorbed. The thickness of the stent, cell shape, polymer material, and/or treatment of the polymer material may be configured to provide a high initial radial rigidity to the vessel upon implantation and a decrease in the radial rigidity of the vessel over time.