Particularly preferred uses of stents of the invention are for the biliary tree (e.g. 8-12 mm diameter, 2-8 cm length) such as the hepatic and pancreatic duct (e.g. 4-12 mm diameter), the urinary tract including the prostate and urethra (e.g. 14-15 mm, diameter; 3-4 cm, length) and the ureter (e.g. 3-4 mm diameter), and the vasculature including the hepatic vasculature e.g. for the treatment of po