When Vice President Dick Cheney underwent emergency angioplasty to one of his cardiac vessels, he also had a coronary artery stent put in. Once used in more exceptional circumstances, the use of coronary artery stents is becoming more and more routine as part of the angioplasty procedure and result. Stents serve an important part making angioplasty more successful, and cutting down on hospitalization time and the potential need for increased medication. The use of stents show a decrease in the frequency of restenosis (closure of a vessel after it was reopened by angioplasty). Most of those who require a stent go home earlier and on less treatment that could potentially cause side effects.

Balloon expandable stents are the most commonly used. They are quite small- from 8-38 millimeters in length and 2.5-4 millimeters in diameter. Stents vary in size and flexibility. Most are made of stainless steel.

Stents were first used in cases where an angioplasty opened an occluded vessel and then the vessel threatened to close or narrow to an unacceptable level. The more common indication currently is elective stent implementation for optimizing the initial and longer-term result of the angioplasty. The use of stents has cut down on restenosis and has certainly increased longevity and decreased cardiac mortality and morbidity.

The information contained on this page is not intended to provide medical advice, which should be obtained directly from your physician.