The medical device has a mandrel (20) with a stop (40) proximal the distal end. A vascular filter (50) has a radially expandable body with proximal and distal sliders (65,60), the proximal slider being slidably carried along the proximal length of the mandrel, and the distal slider being carried along the distal length of the mandrel. The sliders slide independently along the mandrel so that the distance between them can be varied to effect different configurations of the functional element. Independent claims are included for a filter system, and a method of employing the device, respectively.
