Which came first: The chicken or the egg? Reflecting on the role of polymer and drug in coronary drug-eluting stents
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drug-eluting stent
Paclitaxel in endovascular devices: Identikit of a “serial killer”?
Recent developments in the management of peripheral artery disease have been momentous, and a key advance has been the
introduction of drug-coated balloons, which capitalise on the mechanical effects of angioplasty balloons, and on the pharmacologic effects of anti-restenotic drugs [1,2]. Indeed, single reports from randomized trials and pooled estimates from meta-analyses have clearly showed that paclitaxel-coated balloons reduce the risk of restenosis and repeat revascularization, while improving patency, limb salvage, and freedom from claudication.