The potential of biocompatible metallic stents and preventing restenosis

Metallic stents have now become an indispensable integral part in cardiovascular treatment of patients in the public hospital. Both bare metallic stents and drug eluting stents have been used in practise. Fin <(e)over dot > structures with slit width of 0.1 mm and pitch better than 0.2 mm created with sharpness and low roughness in the cut surface of such stents have now become a life saving structural part implanted in the body. This paper reviews and describes the current status on various fabrication techniques for metallic stents of length 20 mm and diameter 2.1 mm with an annular tube thickness of 0.1 mm, by classifying the use of short pulse Nd-YAG laser. Some features on improving the surface characteristics of the cut surfaces of the stent, as well as a few techniques on preventing restenosis are also discussed. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.