ABSTRACT
Since the first human implantation of the coronary stent in 1986, stents have evolved to become the revascularisation strategy of choice for treatment of obstructive coronary artery disease. Early stents were basically flexible metal coils, acting as struts within the artery to prevent acute vessel occlusion, to seal a potential dissection flap and to prevent late elastic recoil. Stent advances have led to development of second-and third-generation dug eluting stents, and to the bioresorbable stent scaffold. This chapter describes the progress of stent technology, with a historical commentary on the evolution of stent design and detailed reference to the major clinical trials.
