Stents are medical devices that are implanted inside blood vessels to restore partial occlusions (stenosis). These devices (Fig. 1) are made of a frame of filaments (usually metallic) following a geometry that allows the frame to expand when a radial pressure is exerted. To implant them, stents are crimped around inflatable balloon catheters which are used to position the stent at the vessel occlusion. Once properly placed, the balloon is inflated and the stent is fixed to the vessel wall, restoring the appropriate vessel lumen. The balloon can be subsequently deflated and