A stent is a metal or plastic tube inserted into a blocked passageway to keep it open.
This article looks at the different types of stents used in medicine today.
It also describes the general procedure and the possible risks and side effects of stenting.
Stocktrek Images / Getty Images
Stents should not be confused withshunts.
Shunts are similar in design but are used to connect two previously unconnected passageways.
Recent innovations have even allowed for the use of stents in treating certain types of glaucoma.
There are different types of stents used to treat different medical conditions.
These include:
There are different stents designed for different parts of the body.
The goal of all stents is to keep a passageway open to get to restore normal flow and function.
Procedures
The procedures used to implant a stent differ depending on the key in of stent.
Your doctor will weigh the benefits and risks to determine if you are a candidate for stenting.
Restenosis comes up whenever new tissue grows in a treated blood vessel, causing it to narrow.
The bare-metal stents developed in the early 1990s cut the risk of restenosis roughly by half.
Today, stents are coated withchemotherapyorimmunosuppressantdrugs, which lowers the risk even moreto around 6%.
Another possible complication is latethrombosis.
The encrustation can be minimized by using drug-eluting stents coated with a blood thinner known asheparin.
Heparin can also help reduce the risk of infection.
Many of the urinary side effects are temporary and will resolve on their own without treatment.
Some cases can be severe.
The risk is greatest if a bare-metal stent is used.
Many cases resolve on their own without treatment.
Infection, while possible, is uncommon.
At other times, the procedure may be contraindicated due to a preexisting health condition.
As important as stents are, not everyone can use them.
People with bleeding disorders and on certain medications may not be candidates.
A Word From Verywell
Stents have clear advantages over other more invasive forms of treatment.
Even so, stents are should not be considered an easy substitute for all medical treatments.
If needed, seek asecond opinionfrom a qualified medical specialist.
Roguin A.Stent: the man and word behind the coronary metal prosthesis.Circ Cardiovasc Interv.
2011;4(2):206-209. doi:10.1161/CIRCINTERVENTIONS.110.960872
MedlinePlus.Angioplasty and stent placement - heart.
61(10):A4937.
2020;7:1. doi:10.1186/s40662-019-0169-7
Pfau PR, Pleskow DK, Banerjee S, et al.Pancreatic and biliary stents.Gastrointest Endosc.
2020;75(1):57-63. doi:10.1016/j.crad.2019.07.014
