Bioresorbable stents: The future of interventional cardiology?

The introduction of stents has drastically reduced target-lesion restenosis rates associated with percutaneous coronary angioplasty. Bare-metal stents were the first introduced, followed by drug-eluting stents, both of which had significant impacts on the complication rates. Stents, however, have resulted in the emergence of stent thrombosis and stent restenosis, which can cause life-threatening cardiac complications. Three new technological approaches are being investigated to overcome these complications: stents coated with bioresorbable polymers, stents without polymers, and completely bioresorbable stents. Initial results are encouraging, but more data are needed to ascertain their implications for clinical practice.