Advent of stents Then came stents in 1994, and everything changed. After clearing the blockage, the doctor inserted these tiny stainless-steel mesh cylinders, which acted as scaffolds to help keep the artery clear. Re-stenosis rates were cut virtually in half. Stents have been improved since then. Along with the reduction in re-stenosis, he says, the incidence of artery collapse and other dire consequences has fallen to less than 0.5 percent.
New technology promises a further dramatic drop in re-stenosis rates.
DeMaio is one of the researchers who for the past several years has been studying the use of radiation in angioplasty. Tiny pellets inserted for 15 to 20 minutes during the procedure emit gamma rays at the point of the arterial lesion, halting the growth of new cells. In the study of about 5,000 patients, re-stenosis rates again have been halved. The approach is not without drawbacks. The radiation seems to increase the risk of having a blood clot block an artery and cause a sudden heart attack.