Methods of fabricating a polymeric stent from a polymer sheet with improved strength, modulus and fracture toughness are disclosed. The methods include stretching the polymer sheet along one or more axesto increase the strength, fracture toughness, and modulus of the polymer along the axis of stretching. The methods further include forming a tubular stent from the stretched sheet. The stent can include a slide-and-lock mechanism that permits the stent to move from a collapsed diameter to an expanded diameter and inhibiting radial recoil from the expanded diameter.
