stent

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noun \ ˈstent \

Definition of stent

:a short narrow metal or plastic tube often in the form of a mesh that is inserted into the lumen of an anatomical vessel (such as an artery or a bile duct) especially to keep a previously blocked passageway open

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Recent Examples of stent from the Web

There used to be a lot of expenditure on operations and stents.

— time staff, Time, "Read the Full Transcript of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day Speech," 15 Aug. 2017
A three-inch stent was placed in his carotid artery.

— matt wolfe, New Republic, "Why did Yousef Muslet face life in prison for an everyday gesture?," 2 Aug. 2017
Abbas, who is a heavy smoker and overweight, was treated years ago with prostate cancer and has had a stent inserted to treat artery blockage.

— Bloomberg.com, "Palestinian Leader Abbas in Hospital for Routine Tests," 29 July 2017
Similar to a stent placed in an artery, the procedure delivers a fully collapsible replacement valve through a catheter, according to the association's website.

— john fritze, baltimoresun.com, "Cummings plans to return to work during August recess," 20 July 2017
Boyce, 61, survived two strokes and five operations to unblock arteries around his heart, including three procedures in which doctors propped open his blood vessels with stents.

— liz szabo, Kaiser Health News, "Depression Among Heart Attack Survivors Can Be Deadly, Yet Is Often Ignored," 20 July 2017
During an operation to insert a stent, Smith became paralyzed from the neck down, WNYT reported.

— Fox News, "Family warns of Powassan virus month after New York man's death," 14 July 2017
Imagine a stent that could be inserted into an artery, Paulino says, which self-deploys once in position.

— michelle z. donahue, Smithsonian, "Print, Then Heat for Self-Assembling Space Stations," 10 July 2017
By holding open the nasal airways like a stent, Mute helps noisy snorers and poor nasal breathers by increasing airflow in the nose.

— NBC News, "14 Smart Products to Help You Fall Asleep Faster," 8 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of stent

Charles Thomas Stent †1885 English dentist

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First Known Use: 1961

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STENT Defined for English Language Learners

stent

play

noun

Definition of stent for English Language Learners

medical : a metal or plastic tube that is put in a blood vessel to keep it open

Medical Dictionary

stent

play

noun \ ˈstent \

variants: also stint play \ˈstint\

medical Definition of stent

1 :a mold formed from a resinous compound and used for holding a surgical graft in place; also :something (as a pad of gauze immobilized by sutures) used like a stent

2 :a short narrow metal or plastic tube often in the form of a mesh that is inserted into the lumen of an anatomical vessel (as an artery or bile duct) especially to keep a previously blocked passageway open

Biographical Note for stent

Stent, Charles Thomas (1807–1885), British dentist. In the mid 19th century Stent developed a dental-impression compound containing gutta-percha, stearine, and talc, which he produced and sold with the aid of his sons Charles Robert (1845–1901) and Arthur Howard (1859–1900), who also became dentists. In 1899 the compound was trademarked under the name Stents. During World War I the Dutch plastic surgeon J. F. S. Esser discovered that Stent's compound could also be used to form molds for holding skin grafts in place, and in a 1917 publication he referred to such molds as “stents molds.” Over the next several decades the singular form stent became a generally used term in plastic and oral surgery. The meaning of stent continued to be expanded to include other types of artificial supports for human tissue. In 1954 the American surgeon William ReMine applied the term stent to a polyethylene tube used to support an anastomosis in an experimental biliary reconstruction. By 1966 stent (or sometimes stint) had been used for tubular supports in cardiovascular surgery, and by 1972 the term was also being used for urological supports.

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