A medical implant such as a self-expanding shape memory alloy stent with astrut matrix formed by cut patterns in a wall of a tubular workpiece (12) canbe enhanced by arranging for the line of the laser beam when cutting thestruts (62) to be one that does not pass through the longitudinal rotationalaxis (10) of the tubular workpiece. Such "off-axis-" cutting can modify thecross-sectional shape and area of each strut, along its length. Suchmodulation can enhance the fatigue resistance of the stent matrix, or increasethe radial force that the stent matrix is capable of exerting on bodily tissuewithin which it is implanted.
