An attachment or locking apparatus which can effectively secure an implant, such as a stent or stent graft, to a vessel or hollow organ wall and which allows minimally-invasive techniques, such as laparoscopy, to be used to attach the implant. The locking element is inserted through an anatomic vessel or hollow organ wall and the implant from outside of the vessel or hollow organ. The locking element preferably is composed of a thin retaining element and a clamping element joined flexibly at one end of the retaining element. A fixing element is secured in position on the retaining element to secure or attach the implant in place. A positioning device, including a thin cannula with an attached locking element, may be inserted into the patient's body, such that the cannula penetrates both the vascular or hollow organ wall and the implant deployed within the vascular wall. The clamping element, held within the cannula, is then ejected into the vessel or hollow organ. The locking element is pulled tight, and pressure-distribution and/or pressure elements are then slid down the locking element toward the vessel wall or hollow organ. A fixing element is then slid against the pressure-distribution and/or pressure elements, and secured into place. The free end of the locking element may then be cut off near the fixing element.