The role of self-expanding stents in patients with atypical coronary anatomy

Despite advances with new generation stents, there remains some atypical coronary anatomy where optimal stenting continues to be a challenge; such as stent sizing in large, ectatic or aneurysmal vessels; tapered vessels; and in vasoconstricted arteries such as in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction or chronic total occlusions. Balloon-expandable stents are tubular and cannot easily accommodate vessel diameter variations; thrombotic vessels increase the risk of distal embolisation and no-reflow; positive remodelling and vasodilation often result in subsequent malapposition; and patients with bifurcation lesions have a higher risk of adverse events. The STENTYS BMS and DES(P) stents have a self-expanding design, which enables a better anatomical fit to the vessel, even with diameter variations (up to 6.0 millimetres [mm]), and can adapt to changes in vessel size over time. The stents deploy atraumatically from distal to proximal, which could reduce distal embolisation and contain disconnectable bridges, which can be opened up at a side branch. Self-apposing technology could therefore provide a potential solution to current challenges with balloon-expandable stent technology.