Stent

In medicine, a stent is a small tube usually made from a special metallic alloy or a strong plastic material. It is placed inside a narrow or blocked tube in the body, such as an artery, to help keep it open so blood or other fluids can flow properly. This process is called stenting.

Stents are used for many different health problems. For example, coronary stents are often used in the heart to open blocked blood vessels during a procedure called coronary angioplasty. Other types of stents help keep tubes in the body open, such as those in the kidneys, liver, or even the windpipe.

The idea of using a stent started from a dentist named Charles Stent in the 1800s. Doctors began using stents in the heart in 1986, and since then, they have become an important tool to help treat many diseases and keep people healthier.

Stent types

By destination organ

Coronary stent

Main article: Coronary stent

Coronary stents are placed during a coronary angioplasty. They are most often used in the coronary arteries and can be made of metal or special materials that slowly dissolve in the body. These stents help keep the arteries open so blood can flow properly.

Most coronary stents today release medicine to stop blood clots and prevent the artery from narrowing again. Doctors use special imaging tools to place the stent correctly. Stents can reduce chest pain and improve survival after a heart attack.

Vascular stent

Vascular stents help treat problems in blood vessels far from the heart, such as in the legs or neck. They are made from flexible materials to fit well in these areas. These stents keep blood flowing freely and are used in procedures to open blocked arteries.

Ureteric stent

Main article: Ureteric stent

Ureteral stents are tiny tubes placed in the tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder. They are used when a kidney stone blocks the flow of urine. These stents can be removed easily, sometimes with a special magnet, without needing difficult surgery.

Prostatic stent

Main article: Prostatic stent

Prostatic stents are used in men who have trouble urinating because of an enlarged prostate. They help keep the tube that carries urine open. There are temporary and permanent types, each with different benefits and possible side effects.

Colon and Esophageal stents

Main article: Esophageal stent

Stents can also be used in the colon or esophagus to help keep these areas open when they are blocked by cancer or other problems. They are made of flexible materials and can ease symptoms like trouble swallowing or bowel blockages.

Pancreatic and biliary stents

Pancreatic and biliary stents help drain fluids from the gallbladder, pancreas, and bile ducts when they are blocked by stones or other issues. They are very useful in treating infections and other problems caused by blocked ducts.

Glaucoma drainage stent

Glaucoma drainage stents are new tools that help drain fluid from the eye to reduce pressure and treat glaucoma.

By properties or function

Bare-metal stent

Main article: Bare-metal stent

Some stents are made of simple metal mesh without any extra coating. These are used in special medical procedures to support blood vessels or other tubes in the body.

Bioresorbable stent

Main article: Bioresorbable stent

Bioresorbable stents are made from materials that slowly dissolve after they have done their job. They are used to open blocked heart arteries and then disappear, allowing the body to heal naturally.

Drug-eluting stent

Main article: Drug-eluting stent

Drug-eluting stents are special tubes that release medicine to prevent new blockages from forming in arteries. They are very common today and have helped many patients live better lives after heart procedures.

Etymology

The word stent comes from the name of an English dentist named Charles Thomas Stent. He was born in Brighton and improved a material called gutta-percha, which helped make dental impressions better.

Later, a Dutch doctor named Jan F. Esser used the name to describe a material that helps hold open parts of the body during surgery. Over time, the word "stent" came to mean the tiny tube doctors use to keep blood vessels open.

History

The first use of a coronary stent happened in 1986 when doctors Jacques Puel and Ulrich Sigwart placed a stent in a patient in Toulouse, France. This tiny tube helped keep a blood vessel open and was used to stop a problem where scar tissue could grow inside the vessel.

In 1993, the first stent approved by the U.S. FDA was created by doctors Cesare Gianturco and Gary Roubin. Later, in 2003, a new type of stent that could release medicine was introduced to help prevent scar tissue from forming. Scientists continue to study and improve stent designs to make them safer and more effective.