WIRE-FORMED BIO-ABSORBABLE IMPLANTS AND METHODS FOR ASSEMBLY

Modularizable implants and stents made with bio-absorbable metal wire alloys ('bio-metals', e.g. magnesium and alloys), and methods for making such implants and stents. The stents or implants may include one or more wire-formed rings or comprise inter-connected cells that form nets that may serve as modules that are assembled mechanically into stents, without the need for certain manufacturing processes that may affect the durability and physical properties thereof. The wires may be formed into rings mechanically and held in place using joining cuffs, and/or adjacent wires may be secured to one other mechanically using joining cuffs to form nets which can be used as implants or formed into stents. The stents can include radiopaque portions, e.g. associated with one or more joining cuffs, to aid in the positioning and evaluation of stents in the body by serving as visual indicators of alignment and expansion that can be detected using X-rays.