Current status and extended applications of intravascular stents

The introduction of several novel techniques and mechanical devices to interventional radiology has expanded the range of therapies for a variety of medical disorders. Intravascular metallic stents have received widespread acclaim and may possess the most potential of all the newest devices available to the interventionist. The addition of metallic stents to the percutaneous therapeutic arsenal provides the interventionist with a device that can resist the elastic recoil of a stenotic vessel or support a newly created vascular tract. Peripheral artery metallic stent placement holds great promise for the treatment of selected patients; other applications of stents, including transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent shunts are likely to have a great impact in patient management. We review the techniques, appropriate indications, and recent clinical results of vascular stents for percutaneous intervention and therapy.