A review of magnesium-based stents: Manufacturing strategies and future trends

Coronary artery disease is often treated with vascular stents to restore the blood flow. Recently, there has been growing interest in biodegradable metal stents, especially those made from magnesium (Mg). This review starts by explaining the complex pathophysiology of atherosclerosis and the current treatment options. It then discusses stents, including their potential benefits, capabilities, and limitations, as they represent the gold standard for percutaneous coronary intervention in treating atherosclerosis. Given the vital role of stents, we provide a thorough review of the manufacturing techniques involved, such as wire forming, subtractive manufacturing, and additive manufacturing, with a specific focus on stents made from Mg alloys. Mg-based stents are considered highly promising biodegradable options because their natural absorption helps alleviate long-term complications after surgery, such as chronic inflammation and hypersensitivity reactions, which can result from the persistent presence of foreign materials in the artery. Additionally, the long-term presence of traditional stents increases the risk of late stent thrombosis and can impair vascular healing and vasodilatory function. Furthermore, this review offers an overview of various innovative stent systems designed for different clinical applications that are currently undergoing research and clinical trials. The past reviews offer perspectives on alloy design, fabrication, or surface modification in isolation. Here, in this comprehensive framework we connect material composition, structural design, and surface engineering with biological outcomes and in vivo performance. This work concludes with suggestions for future research directions, including investigations into optimizing manufacturing procedures and processing parameters to produce Mg-based stents with improved quality.