Update on bioabsorbable stents: from bench to clinical.

Permanent metallic stents are associated with limitations such as continued mechanical stress, transfer to the tissue, and continued biological interaction with the surrounding tissue. They are also associated with late stent thrombosis and artifacts when non-invasive technologies such as MRI and MSCT are used. The potential advantages of bioabsorbable polymeric or metallic stents are to leave no stent behind, they are fully compatible with MRI and MSCT imaging, and are not associated with late stent thrombosis. This review covers the different stent programs as they move from bench to bed and clinical trials. Bioabsorbable stents are considered the next frontier of stenting and we will discuss their potential to fulfill this promise in interventional cardiology.