Animal models of vascular stenting

Throughout the 30-year history of vascular stents, from their initial conception to current drug-eluting and bioresorbable technologies, animal models have played an instrumental role in the development of vascular stents. From rodents to rabbits, dogs, sheep, and swine, a variety of animal models for the evaluation of vascular stents exist, each being balanced with a unique set of advantages and shortcomings. With the appropriate selection of species and anatomy, animal models can be used to provide insight into the pathophysiology of vessel healing and restenosis, to confirm the feasibility of new endovascular technologies, to assess the potential efficacy of a stent at improving specific clinical outcomes, and to establish reasonable safety of a stent for a specified clinical use. This review provides an overview of the predominant animal models used for evaluating vascular stents and the translation of these models to the clinical setting.