DIFFERENT TYPES OF CORONARY STENTS

General characteristics: Several criteria are used for coronary stent design. biocompatibility, ie. the capacity to resist thrombotic events and corosion, flexibility, radial force sufficient to resist elastic recoil, percentage of the lesion covered, radio-opacity; minimal short ening at opening, absence of effect on collateral branches, possibilit y to use small calibre probe-guides, and cost. Two categories: Both tu bular stents (self-expanding stents and ballon stents) and filamentary stents (made of stainless steel or tantalum) are used. The ideal sten t :There is no one ideal stent. Choice is dictated by the characterist ics of the lesion and by the status of the artery to treat.