Intracoronary stents: clinical and angiographic results

Limitations of current forms of coronary angioplasty including abrupt vessel closure and delayed restenosis have led to the development of alternative nonsurgical methods of coronary revascularization. By scaffolding the arterial dissection and smoothing the endoluminal surface, intracoronary stenting may obviate the need for emergency coronary bypass surgery in patients who develop abrupt vessel closure following coronary angioplasty. As primary therapy, its use may prevent or delay restenosis in high-risk patients; however, due to potential patient selection bias, controlled studies are needed. Currently available intracoronary stents are limited by varying degrees of inflexibility, radiolucency, and thrombogenicity. These limitations have resulted in the development of innovative stent designs using radioopaque tantalum filaments and aggressive pharmacologic treatment with antiplatelet and anti-thrombotic therapy following stent deployment. Current experimental investigation into the feasibility of intracoronary stent coating with genetically engineered endothelial cells or slow release antiproliferative agents, such as colchicine or methotrexate, may further serve to lessen the frequency of late restenosis. The optimal patient selection criteria for the use of the intracoronary stent is currently the subject of intense clinical investigation.