Recent trend in applications of polymer materials to stents

Abstract

A B S T R A C T Stent-based polymeric material is a remarkable tool to deal with any obstructions represented in gastrointestinal (GI) tract or to be used to avoid ongoing dilation or surgery in patients with benign stenosis. The extended study of the efficacy and the safety of the stent for human body should be studied. In near future, it would be possible to use bioresorbable polymeric stent in hospital instead of using metallic stents. In this review, the advantages of bioresorbable polymeric stent over metallic stent, the stenting of polymeric stent at GI tract as well as the drug release mechanism of stent-based polymer are presented. The mechanism of drug release and many parameters affecting drug releasing process are listed. In vitro and in vivo studies of drug-eluting stent are also reported.