Restenosis in percutaneous coronary intervention--is drug-eluting stent the answer?

The long-term success of percutaneous coronary intervention in the treatment of coronary artery disease is hampered by the occurrence of restenosis, which often necessitates repeat hospitalisations or coronary interventions. The advent of drug-eluting stents, particularly those coated with sirolimus and paclitaxel, may be the breakthrough in the battle against restenosis that interventional cardiologists have been waiting for, and we review the currently available evidence for this. Despite the growing enthusiasm, we should not forget that this new technology is still in its relative infancy, and there remain many unanswered questions, particularly about the long-term effect of using these stents.