Steps involved in the deployment of a coronary stent. The first step is balloon angioplasty, which creates intimal disruption (top panel). Following placement (middle panel), the stent is expanded (bottom panel).
Adapted from: Cannon A, Roubin GS, Interventional Cardiovascular Medicine, Roubin GS, Califf RM, O'Neill WW, et al (Eds), Churchill Livingstone, New York, 1994, p.866.