Living history of medicine: vascular scaffolding, from dream to reality.

Following the launch of balloon angioplasty in 1977, its deficiencies-abrupt occlusion requiring emergency bypass surgery in one in twenty attempts and recurrence in one in three cases-became soon apparent. The attempts to eliminate the element of chance from this otherwise highly attractive technique resulted in the concept of intra-vascular scaffolding. Following the inception of self-expanding mesh stents made from stainless steel and extensive bench testing and animal experiments, the first clinical data were obtained in Switzerland almost 30 years ago in 1986 with promising, albeit not undisputed results. Technical improvements including potent platelet inhibitors have made the technique a cornerstone of catheter-treatment of vascular disease. This paper gives an account of the sometimes difficult beginnings of coronary and non-coronary stenting at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland.

[Brief history of interventional radiology].

In 1923, angiography was first successively used for the human body. In 1953, a Swedish doctor Sven-Ivar Seldinger pioneered the Seldinger technique, which laid down the foundation of interventional radiology. In 1963, Charles Dotter first proposed the idea of interventional radiology. In 1964, Charles Dotter opened a new era of percutaneous angioplasty through accidental operation, marking the formation of interventional radiology. On this basis, the techniques of balloon catheter dilation and metal stent implantation was developed. Endovascular stent was proposed in 1969. In 1973, the percutaneous angioplasty has been a breakthrough with the emergence of soft double-lumen balloon catheter. Percutaneous coronary angioplasty is applied in 1977. Since the 1990s, balloon angioplasty relegated to secondary status with the emergence of metal stent. Currently, endovascular stent have entered a new stage with the emergence of temporary stent and stent grafts and biological stent. Transcatheter arterial embolization had been one of the most important basic techniques for interventional radiology since 1965, it had also been a corresponding development with the improvement of embolic agents and catheter technology for the treatment of diseases now. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent-shunt is a comprehensive interventional radiology technology since 1967, in which the biliary system can be reached through a jugular vein, and the improvement appeared with balloon expandable stent in 1986.Since 1972, non-vascular interventional techniques was another important branch of interventional radiology. Currently, it is applied in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases of the internal organs like the pancreas, liver, kidney, spinal cord, Fallopian tubes, esophagus and other organs. In 1973, Chinese radiologist first conducted the angiography test. Interventional radiology was introduced into China in the 1980s, it was readily developed through the sponsoring of training class (1981) and academic conferences (1986). Along with the return of the overseas scholars, the gap in the interventional diagnosis and treatment technology between China and the world has been narrowing since the 1990s.