In this article, we review the current status of inflammation linked to percutaneous
transluminal angioplasty with stent implantation, especially as it relates to restenosis and its
clinical implications. Common to multiple vascular diseases, including atherosclerosis,
interventional restenosis is a localized inflammatory reaction. Activated smooth muscle cells
respond to local inflammation and migrate from the media into the lumen of the vessel,
where they proliferate and synthesize cytokines which they respond to in an autocrine …