Skip to main content
Update Location

My Location

Update your location to show providers, locations, and services closest to you.

Enter a zip code
Or
Select a campus/region

Definition

A stent is a tiny tube placed into a hollow structure in your body. This structure can be an artery, a vein, or another structure, such as the tube that carries urine (ureter). The stent holds the structure open.

Coronary artery stent
An intraluminal coronary artery stent is a small, self-expanding, stainless steel mesh tube that is placed within a coronary artery to keep the vessel open. It may be used during a coronary artery bypass graft surgery to keep the grafted vessel open, after balloon angioplasty to prevent reclosure of the blood vessel, or during other heart surgeries.

Alternative Names

Drug-eluting stents; Urinary or ureteral stents; Coronary stents

Description

When a stent is placed into the body, the procedure is called stenting. There are different kinds of stents. Most are made of a metal or plastic mesh-like material. However, stent grafts are made of fabric. They are used in larger arteries.

A coronary artery stent is a small, self-expanding, metal mesh tube. It is placed inside a coronary artery after balloon angioplasty. This stent prevents the artery from re-closing.

A drug-eluting stent is coated with a medicine. This medicine helps further prevent the arteries from re-closing. Like other coronary artery stents, it is left permanently in the artery.

Patient Education Video: Stent

Why the Procedure Is Performed

Most of the time, stents are used when arteries become narrow or blocked.

Stents are commonly used to treat the following conditions that result from blocked or damaged blood vessels:

Other reasons to use stents include:

Gallery

Coronary artery stent
An intraluminal coronary artery stent is a small, self-expanding, stainless steel mesh tube that is placed within a coronary artery to keep the vessel open. It may be used during a coronary artery bypass graft surgery to keep the grafted vessel open, after balloon angioplasty to prevent reclosure of the blood vessel, or during other heart surgeries.
Coronary artery stent
An intraluminal coronary artery stent is a small, self-expanding, stainless steel mesh tube that is placed within a coronary artery to keep the vessel open. It may be used during a coronary artery bypass graft surgery to keep the grafted vessel open, after balloon angioplasty to prevent reclosure of the blood vessel, or during other heart surgeries.

References

Tambyraja AL. Vascular and endovascular surgery. In: Garden OJ, Parks RW, Wigmore SJ, eds. Principles and Practice of Surgery. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 22.

Teirstein PS. Interventional and surgical treatment of coronary artery disease. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 26th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 65.

Textor SC. Renovascular hypertension and ischemic nephropathy. In: Yu ASL, Chertow GM, Luyckx VA, Marsden PA, Skorecki K, Taal MW, eds. Brenner and Rector's The Kidney. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 47.

White CJ. Atherosclerotic peripheral arterial disease. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 26th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 71.

Last reviewed May 10, 2022 by Deepak Sudheendra, MD, MHCI, RPVI, FSIR, Founder and CEO, 360 Vascular Institute, with an expertise in Vascular Interventional Radiology & Surgical Critical Care, Columbus, OH. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team..

Related specialties

Aftercare and more

Our locations

Clinical Trials: Stent

UF Health research scientists make medicine better every day. They discover new ways to help people by running clinical trials. When you join a clinical trial, you can get advanced medical care. Sometimes years before it's available everywhere. You can also help make medicine better for everyone else. If you'd like to learn more about clinical trials, visit our clinical trials page. Or click one of the links below:

Abbott Next Generation Drug Eluting Stent 48mm Study (ABT NG DES 48)

The purpose of this SPIRIT 48 study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the ABT NG DES 48 in improving coronary artery luminal diameter in subjects with coronary artery disease (CAD) due to de novo native coronary artery long lesions.

Investigator
Michael R Massoomi
Status
Accepting Candidates
Ages
18 Years - N/A
Sexes
All
TREO PAS-IP-0021-20

The purpose of this study is to determine the long-term performance of the TREO Abdominal Stent-Graft as a treatment for patients with Infrarenal Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms or Aorto-iliac Aneurysms.

Investigator
Michol A Cooper
Status
Accepting Candidates
Ages
18 Years - N/A
Sexes
All
URIPRENE

A prospective, multi-center, non-randomized trial to demonstrate safety and device performance of the ADVA-Tec Uriprene® Degradable Temporary Ureteral Stent.

Investigator
Vincent G Bird
Status
Accepting Candidates
Ages
21 Years - 80 Years
Sexes
All
View all stent studies

News and Patient Stories: Stent

More Stent stories

Latest podcast episodes

Reducing stents

An extra step before surgery can reduce the number of stents implanted in patients with coronary artery...

Listen to more Health in a Heartbeat episodes