The invention is directed to an expandable stent for implantation in a body lumen, such as an artery. The stent consists of an elongated stent body formed with a central section positioned between a proximal end section and a distal end section, the central section having different expansion characteristics than at least one of the end sections. The end sections of the stent are configured to have greater resistance to radial expansion than the corresponding central section such that, when deployed with a balloon catheter device, the central section of the stent expands to an enlarged final diameter to contact the interior walls of the body lumen before or simultaneously with the end sections. The size and the shape of the U-shaped structures control the expansion characteristics of the respective cylindrical elements. The U-shaped structures which are designed to be more resistant to circumferential deformation are used to form cylindrical elements that have a greater resistance to radial expansion. The cylindrical elements are arranged strategically along the axial length of the stent to form stent sections which cooperate to control radial expansion.
