Osman Karakaya, Ali Metin Esen

Keywords: PTCA, stent, restenosis, drug eluting stents

Abstract

The introduction of intracoronary stents into clinical practice has dramatically changed treatment of obstructive coronary artery disease. Unfortunately, the procedure's utility is limited by a frequent complication: restenosis At the moment, repeat balloon angioplasty is considered to be the first line treatment option, especially in focal lesions. The recent introduction of drug-eluting stents (DESs) may help prevent ISR. However, DESs have not been universally successful, and they may introduce new complications that require further refinement. This review summarizes the current understanding of the pathogenesis of ISR and provides an objective overview of DESs.