Stent Repair: Coated replacements better than radiation
By Nathan Seppa
Small mesh cylinders called stents, which doctors surgically implant to prop open clogged arteries, have a vexing tendency to become blocked soon after they’re inserted. Stents can be cleared, but the only approved treatment for keeping a bare-metal stent from clogging again is the application of radiation directly inside the blood vessel.
Two U.S. studies now find that inserting a new, drug-coated stent inside the old one—like a sleeve inside a sleeve—keeps blood flowing better than zapping it with radiation does.