A stent retractor has a radially flexibly expandable tubular sheath divided in the peripheral direction into at least two sections, specifically a reinforcing section and an expanding section, with radial flexibilities that differ from one another, these sections being interconnected integrally. The stent retractor includes axial segments that are connected by a puzzle-type connection allowing simple separation or length adjustment in the axial direction (including when in situ) while also being made integrally, for example by means of a laser or water jet cutting method, preferably from a tubular blank.
