Coronary artery stents

Abstract

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent implantation is the primary form of coronary revascularization. Stents are positioned to resolve obstructing lesions by balloon inflation. Balloon inflation represents an injury for the vessel wall and leads to a healing response. An excessive healing response can cause narrowing of the stent lumen and be associated with recurrent chest pain. Recurrent chest pain however is not invariably secondary to stent occlusion or restenosis. The availability of a noninvasive technique able to diagnose and rule out the presence of restenosis would be very desirable.