Without a stent, when the balloon is removed, there is a risk of immediate recurrence. The stent supports the walls of the blood vessel and keeps it open. There are two types of stents used, with differing materials:

1. Metallic stent
2. Bioresorbable scaffold system

The stent will be in the body for the rest of the patient’s life so metal stents are normally made from stainless steel or cobalt-chromium as these are more mechanically stable with the contractions of the blood vessel in the long-term than other metals.
Stents can also be:

1. Bare metal stents with no medication
2. Drug-eluting stents

Since the stent is considered a foreign object, the body will react to it as such and begin repairing the tissue. This will thicken the walls of the stent and cause recurrence of the narrowing or blockage. This is more likely with bare metal stents than drug-eluting stents, which have a coating of medication to prevent the body’s natural reaction to the foreign object that slowly releases.
A metal stent has a hard structure and it prevents natural contractions of the blood vessel so a bioresorbable stent has been developed. It is also coated with a medication that will slowly dissolve the stent within two to three years, but due to numerous limitations in comparison with metal stents, the bioresorbable scaffold system is not as popular in hospitals. If you have any questions, please talk to your doctor.