Matched balloon to stent shortening

1. A catheter for deploying an implantable prosthetic device at a desired location in a bodily vessel comprising an expandable member and a prosthetic device, wherein the prosthetic device is a stent, the expandable member comprising a balloon, the balloon having a first cone portion and a second cone portion, and at least one belt extending about the circumference of the balloon, the stent being disposed at least partially about the belt, the expandable member having a portion which foreshortens longitudinally upon radial expansion of the expandable member, the portion which foreshortens being longitudinally positioned between the first cone portion and the second cone portion and at least partially within the stent and the stent being disposed about the balloon, wherein the radial expansion of the expandable member is achieved by applying internal fluid pressure to the balloon and wherein the belt is characterized by a foreshortening rate R b and the stent is characterized by a foreshortening rate R s .

2. The catheter of claim 1 wherein the stent foreshortens on expansion.

3. The catheter of claim 2 wherein the balloon is characterized by a foreshortening rate R b and the stent is characterized by a foreshortening rate R s substantially equal to R b .

4. The catheter of claim 3 wherein the balloon includes a body portion which is substantially the same length as the stent.

5. The catheter of claim 4 comprising a multiplicity of belts, the stent disposed about the belts, the belts not extending beyond the stent, wherein at least some of the belts are characterized by a foreshortening rate R b , and the stent is characterized by a foreshortening rate R s , substantially equal to R b .

6. The catheter of claim 5 wherein the belts do not extend beyond the stent.

7. The catheter of claim 1 wherein R s is substantially equal to R b .

8. The catheter of claim 7 wherein only one belt is disposed about the balloon.

9. The catheter of claim 8 wherein the belt and the stent are substantially the same length.

10. The catheter of claim 7 wherein the belt is in the form of a braid.

11. The catheter of claim 1 wherein the expandable member comprises a balloon, the balloon comprising one or more overhanging portions in which the balloon forms a double layer about the inner tube.

12. The catheter of claim 1 wherein the balloon comprises one or more reinforcing members which extend in an axial direction.

13. The catheter of claim 12 wherein the expandable member is capable of lengthening at a rate of R b and the stent is capable of lengthening at a rate R s , substantially equal to R b .

14. The catheter of claim 1 , wherein the portion which foreshortens is entirely between the first cone portion and the second cone portion.

15. The catheter of claim 1 , the prosthetic device having a tubular shape, wherein the portion which foreshortens is at least partially within the tubular shape.

16. A catheter for delivering an implantable prosthetic device to a desired location in a bodily vessel comprising an expandable member, the expandable member comprising a balloon, and a prosthetic device disposed about the balloon, the expandable member including a portion which changes in length in tandem with the prosthetic device, wherein the portion of the balloon changes in length by applying internal fluid pressure to the expandable member, the portion which changes in length comprising a belt, the belt being at least partially about the balloon and at least partially within the prosthetic device and having a foreshortening rate R b when the balloon expands.

17. The catheter of claim 16 wherein the implantable prosthetic device is a stent.

18. The catheter of claim 16 , the balloon having a first cone portion and a second cone portion, wherein the portion which changes in length is entirely between the first cone portion and the second cone portion.

19. The catheter of claim 16 , the prosthetic device having a tubular shape, wherein the portion which changes is at least partially within the tubular shape.

20. A non-perfusion balloon comprising a balloon and a portion which foreshortens on expansion of the balloon, the portion which foreshortens comprising a belt about the balloon having a foreshorten rate R b when the balloon is expanded, wherein the expansion of the balloon is achieved by applying internal fluid pressure to the balloon, the balloon having a proximal cone portion and a distal cone portion, wherein the portion which foreshortens is at least partially centered between the distal cone portion and the proximal cone portion, the non-perfusion balloon further comprising a stent, wherein the stent is disposed about the balloon and the belt is at least partially between the stent and the balloon.

21. The non-perfusion ballon of claim 20 , with a prostheic device disposed thereabout.