A medical appliance for placement within a portion of the anatomy of a patient, the medical appliance comprising a scaffolding defining a substantially cylindrical member having a distal end and a proximal end and extending longitudinally there between, forming a lumen there through, the scaffolding formed of struts arranged at angles, the scaffolding configured such that when pressure is exerted at varying points longitudinally along the medical appliance, the medical appliance does not undesirably foreshorten or elongate. The scaffolding comprises a plurality of circumferential bands extending perpendicularly with respect to a longitudinal axis of the medical appliance, each of the plurality of circumferential bands forming a zone and a plurality of connectors (40,50) extending between adjacent ones of the zones. Each connector comprises a pair of connector leg members (42,4652,56) and a crossing member (4454) connecting the connector leg members at a predetermined angle (δγ). The leg members (42,46) of the connectors (40) of a first of the zones are shorter than the leg members (52,56) of the connectors (50) of a second of the zones, whereby torsional flexibility of the first (40) and second (50) zones is different. The medical appliance further comprises a covering (100) coupled with the scaffolding, the covering (100) coating at least a portion of both the struts and regions between the struts, wherein the covering is either: (i) an internal covering, where the scaffolding is additionally coated, and the surfaces of the coated struts that contact the lumen of the patient are elevated above the internal covering or (ii) an exterior covering coupled with the medical appliance from the exterior surface of the scaffolding inward, wherein the covered struts on the exterior surface of the scaffolding are raised with respect to the covered region between the struts of the medical appliance.
