A stent with axial flexibility, in a preferred embodiment, has a longitudinal axis and comprises a plurality of longitudinally disposed bands, wherein each band defines a generally continuous wave along a line segment parallel to the longitudinal axis. A plurality of links maintains the bands in a tubular structure. In a further embodiment of the invention, each longitudinally disposed band of the stent is connected, at a plurality of periodic locations, by a short circumferential link to an adjacent band.