Clinical utility of self-expanding stents in coronary artery disease

The field of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has evolved considerably since the era of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty with stenting has now become one of the cornerstones of treatment for coronary artery disease. The use of third-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) is currently the preferred method of treatment for different indications in patients with coronary artery disease. Self-expanding stents are routinely used in peripheral arterial disease, like external iliac and femoropopliteal percutaneous interventions. Self-expanding stents have been in use since the beginning of PCI. Although the first stent deployed was of the self-expanding variety, namely the Wallstent, balloon-expandable stents have become the stents of choice in the coronary arteries. The role of self-expanding stents in modern PCI is continuously evolving. This review discusses the utility of self-expanding stents in the treatment of specific subsets of coronary lesions.