Importance

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Abstract

An expandable intraluminal vascular graft includes a flexible cylindrical inner tube having a outer periphery and a plurality of separate scaffold member mounted on the outer periphery of the inner tube. The scaffold members are expandable, ring-like and provide circumferential rigidity to the graft. A flexible cylindrical outer tube concentrically encloses the inner tube and the plurality of scaffold members mounted thereon. The graft has a first diameter, which permits intraluminal delivery of the graft into a body passageway having a lumen, and a second expanded diameter, upon the application from the interior of the tube of a radially outwardly extending force. The second graft diameter is dependent on the amount of force applied so that he graft second diameter can be expanded to at least equal an internal diameter of the body passageway lumen. The scaffold members are deformed beyond their elastic limit when the graft is expanded to the second graft diameter.

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First Claim