ABSTRACT
Charles Dotter1 first proposed the use of prosthetic devices to improve vessel patency after percutaneous balloon angioplasty in 1964. More than two decades had passed before Jacques Puel and colleagues2 implanted the first stent in a human coronary artery in Toulouse, France. With the refinement of technology, landmark studies such as the Belgian Netherlands STENT (BENESTENT)3 and the Stent Restenosis (STRESS) study4 trials were able to demonstrate the better long-term coronary patency after stenting compared with balloon angioplasty. Currently, stents represent over 80% of all percutaneous coronary revascularization procedures performed worldwide. The success of these devices is primarily due to their mechanical ability to promote large acute gains in lumen dimensions and prevent negative vascular remodeling. The aim of this chapter is to summarize the current stent designs, techniques, and clinical indications.
