A Review on Biodegradable and Bioabsorbable Stents for Coronary Artery Disease

Abstract

In the recent years Angioplasty has made a significant progress and is being widely used in the treatment of atherosclerotic vascular disease. Drug-eluting stents are not only effective but are also raising the concerns associated like restenosis. Biodegradable stents are being developed as an alternative to permanent stents which may be a potential alternative in solving the problem of in-stent restenosis. When compared to metallic stents with a thin coated drug, a fully degradable stent may be more potential in targeted drug delivery. Biodegradable materials like polycarbonates, polyesters, corrodible metals and bacterial-derived polymers have been investigated by various research groups in designing stents. A biodegradable stent is considered to be perfect if it could be reliably deploy under the fluoroscopic guidance and locate the target lesion with an insignificant endovascular trauma. In addition the byproducts developed during the degradation should be nontoxic, lead to the minimal inflammation at the target site and should disappear in a minimal period of time without a noteworthy displacement from the deployment site. Even though stents made of biodegradable materials were launched into the market with initial clinical data, more advanced research is necessary to solve the various issues associated with these stents.