What are the two general categories of stents? How do they differ?
Improvements in biomedical engineering and metallurgy have helped expand the clinical applications for noncoronary stents. Although various commercial stents are available, they can be classified as either balloon-expandable or self-expandable. The characteristics of each type vary, making one type more suitable for certain clinical applications than the other. There is significant overlap for uses of both types of stents, and user preference plays a role in selection.