in its compressed delivery configuration in the embodiment shown in fig1 each of the four markers has a circumferential length just less than the circumferential length of three cycles of the zigzag pattern which defines the end ring of the stent cylinder so that when the stent cylinder is compressed with all the struts of the zigzag ring laying close to each other the adjacent radiopaque markers will also lie closely adjacent each other in the circumferential direction as can be seen in fig1 the end ring 12 of the stent cylinder 10 is constituted by a succession of struts 14 which zigzag their way around the full circumference of the ring 12 there is a vertex 16 where each two successive struts intersect with the end of the stent cylinder being defined by the succession of vertices 16 a marker carrier portion 18 is located at every third end vertex 16 and fitted to each carrier portion 18 is a marker element 20 in the illustrated embodiment the stent is made from nitinol nickel titanium shape memory alloy and each marker element is of tantalum in other embodiments the stent could be of stainless steel the attached elements could be of tantalum platinum gold or iridium for example referring now to fig3 and 4 together the tantalum marker 20 has a luminal surface 22 and an abluminal surface 24 with the abluminal surface 24 being in.