Methods of fabricating a polymer scaffold with increased radial strength including steps of elongation or strain of a biaxially oriented tube and annealing or thermal processing of the strained tube at a constant strain are disclosed. The steps of elongation and thermal processing increase axial direction chain orientation and lamellar crystal growth, increase radial strength, and decrease the thickness of the tube. The method allows fabrication of a scaffold with thinner struts which provide sufficient radial strength.
