What Are Drug-Eluting Stents?
Although stents have revolutionized the treatment of atherosclerosis, physicians and patients still battle the problem of in-stent restenosis. This reblockage, which occurs in as many as 25 percent of patients, happens when scar tissue grows rapidly inside the stent and eventually narrows the artery. Until now, physicians have had few options for preventing restenosis. New devices called drug-eluting stents are transforming the way physicians use stents to treat atherosclerosis. The devices, which consist of a stainless steel stent covered with a plastic coating, slowly release a medication that blocks inflammatory processes in the vessel wall and limits the overgrowth of normal tissue during the healing process. More long term studies of drug-eluting stents are necessary, however, early clinical results have shown an in-stent restenosis rate of less than 10 percent when used in the coronary arteries. Patients should discuss this possible treatment option with their physician.
