Biodegradable drug-eluting stents: promises and pitfalls.

摘要

The main impetus forthe development of biodegradable stents was the high incidence of subacute stent thrombosis. In the late 1990s, the Igaki-Tamai stent, a bioabsorbable stent made of a high-molecular-weight polymer of L-lactic acid, was implanted in 15 patients (25 stents), with a re-stenosis rate at 6 months as low as 10.5%. However, when use of high-pressure deployment of stents and routine aspirin and clopidogrel substantially reduced thrombotic events, results of this first clinical experience rapidly fell into oblivion. The recent resurgence of interest is undoubtedly due to the fear of late stent thrombosis after implantation of drug-eluting stents.