| abstract |
Extruded, stretched, and sintered tubular PTFE materials (50), which have been radially dilated and resintered, are produced which are suited for use in the medical field, e.g., as liners and covers with support structures (52) for expandable endovascular stents (48). The PTFE materials have an unusually low REC (Radial Expansion Coefficient) and RER (Radial Expansion Ratio), permitting thin-walled PTFE tubes to expand about 50% to 400%, or more, before the decline and tensile strength. Tube-form medical implants comprising such PTFE material, methods for making such implants, and endovascular stents formed with such implants are described. |