Compared with POBA, restenosis with bare metal stents is generally:

• A. Lower
• B. Higher
• C. Similar
• D. Not affected

Answer: (A)

The main idea is that stents reduce restenosis compared with balloon angioplasty because they prevent vessel recoil and seal dissections. When you perform plain balloon angioplasty (POBA) the vessel can recoil inward after the balloon is deflated and any dissections created by the balloon can worsen luminal narrowing. A bare-metal stent acts as a scaffold that holds the vessel open, prevents recoil, and covers dissections, so the maintained lumen is larger and restenosis is less likely. Neointimal hyperplasia still occurs inside stents, but the overall rate of restenosis tends to be lower than with POBA. That’s why the answer is that restenosis with bare-metal stents is generally lower than with POBA.