Method to fabricate a stent having selected morphology to reduce restenosis

1. A method of fabricating a stent, the method comprising:

radially expanding a bioabsorbable polymer tube such that a majority of a luminal surface of the expanded tube is substantially smooth and a majority of an abluminal surface of the expanded tube is rougher than the luminal surface of the expanded tube;

the rougher abluminal surface being formed by selection of process parameters capable of producing the rougher abluminal surface, including

using a heating nozzle, heating the tube from about 180° F. to 300° F.,

using a nozzle speed of about 0.1 mm/sec to 3.0 mm/sec, and

using a gas for said radial expansion of the bioabsorbable polymer tube at a gas pressure of about 100 psi to 300 psi; and

laser cutting a stent pattern into the expanded tube to fabricate a stent.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the abluminal surface of the expanded tube has a roughness factor that is greater than 1.5 times a roughness factor of the luminal surface of the expanded tube.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a degradation rate at an abluminal surface of the stent is greater than a substantially smooth surface upon exposure to bodily fluids.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein an abluminal surface of the stent promotes endothelial cell growth more than a substantially smooth surface.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the process parameters are 160 psi to 250 psi, 240° F. to 250° F. and the nozzle speed is about 2 mm/sec.

6. A method of fabricating a stent, the method comprising:

radially expanding a polymeric tube by increasing a pressure in the tube and heating the tube, wherein the pressure in the tube during expansion is from about 120 psi to 250 psi, wherein the temperature of the tube during expansion is from about 200° F. to 300° F., and wherein the tube is disposed in a mold and heated by axially translating a nozzle along the mold, the nozzle directing a heated gas at the mold, wherein the nozzle is translated at a rate of 1.0 mm/second to about 3 mm/second; and

laser cutting a stent pattern into the expanded polymeric tube to fabricate a stent, the stent having a substantially smooth luminal surface and a rough abluminal surface.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein a surface area of the abluminal surface of the stent is at least 1.5 times greater than a surface area of the luminal surface of the stent.

8. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the abluminal surface of the stent promotes endothelial cell growth more than a substantially smooth surface.

9. The method according to claim 6 , wherein a degradation rate at the abluminal surface of the stent is greater than a substantially smooth surface upon exposure to bodily fluids.

10. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the stent comprises a blend including a majority of LPLA or LPLG and LPLG-b-P(GA-co-CL), wherein a plurality of bioceramic particles are dispersed within the blend.

11. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising coating the cut stent with a biodegradable coating.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the coating includes fibers, nanoparticles, or a blend thereof.

13. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the polymeric stent consists essentially of LPLA or LPLG.

14. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the abluminal surface of the stent has a roughness effective to stimulate the adherence of endothelial cells to the abluminal surface of the stent, thereby forming a layer of mature endothelial cells on the abluminal surface of the stent.