Recent Advances in Non-Vascular Stents for Occlusive Luminal Disease Treatment

Abstract

Stent placement has become a standard intervention for occlusive luminal diseases across both vascular and non-vascular systems. Beyond their well-established use in endovascular therapy, stents play essential roles in managing obstructions in non-vascular conduits such as the airway, esophagus, urethra, ocular outflow tract, bile duct, and colon. However, conventional permanent stents are frequently associated with complications such as migration, restenosis, infection, and granulation tissue formation, that often necessitate secondary removal procedures. To overcome these limitations, biodegradable stents have emerged as a promising alternative, providing temporary mechanical support before safely degrading in situ. In parallel, drug-eluting stents offer site-specific therapeutic delivery to modulate local tissue responses, suppress fibrosis, and reduce infection risk. Although coronary stent technologies are extensively reviewed, an integrated analysis of biodegradable and drug-eluting stent innovations for non-vascular applications remains lacking. This review addresses this gap by systematically evaluating current and emerging stent technologies for major non-vascular luminal diseases. We examine the interplay between material properties, device mechanics, and the unique pathophysiological challenges of each anatomical site. We further highlight recent advances in biodegradable and drug-eluting stent design, discuss key barriers to clinical translation, and provide a forward-looking perspective on future directions in non-vascular stent development.