BACKGROUND: Although stent implanting technology has provided more effective treatments for cerebrovascular diseases, its safety and effectiveness require to be further verified.
OBJECTIVE: To explain the biocompatibility between cerebrovascular stents and the hosts, to analyze the cause of stent complications, and to discuss managements.
METHODS: A computer-based online retrieval of China Academic Journal Fulltext Database and PubMed database between January 1993 and November 2010, with the key words of “cerebrovascular disease, stents, biocompatibility, complications” in Chinese and English. Studies regarding the biocompatibility of cerebrovascular stents and the complications of stent implantation were included, according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, 18 articles were mainly discussed.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Intracranial stent is a commonly used cerebrovascular stent is clinical application. Because the vascular diameter affects the stent diameter, different diseases require different diameters of the stent. Stent complications include retroperitoneal hematoma, carotid sinus response, hyperperfusion syndrome, cerebral vasospasm and thrombosis. Among a variety of cerebrovascular stents, metal stents have the poor biocompatibility, while polymer stents, coating stents and drug stents have a better stent biocompatibility than metal stents, which can effectively prevent restenosis after stent implantation. Adequate preparation is necessary before implantation, such as the selection of the appropriate stent type, strictly according the indications, careful observation in stent placement, close monitoring and management after implantation, thus preventing complications.