Magnesium alloy stents: A friend or foe of coronary in-stent restenosis?

Abstract

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is regarded as the principal cause of cardiovascular diseases and one of the leading causes of mortality. In order to alleviate the risk of CAD, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and stent implantation have recently been applied. In particular, Mg alloy (Mg-alloy) stents (MAS) have been used as clinical routine for the treatment of CAD. However, emerging evidence suggests that this treatment strategy is substantially associated with coronary in-stent restenosis (ISR), which remains the main cause of unintentional and repeat drug-eluting stent (DES) interventions in the United States. In this regard, understanding of MAS as friend or foe of ISR treatment is needed to establish the exact mechanism underlying this condition. This mini review therefore aimed to provide an integrated view on the existing findings of the relationship between MAS and ISR. The understanding of MAS as either a friend or foe is crucial for the management of ISR, which is reported to be very challenging amidst lack of effective therapeutic options.