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Slender tubular devices designed to functionally replace injured or diseased sections of the body\'s tubular structures (e.g., blood vessels) while maintaining patency. These devices typically consist of one or more open mesh metallic stents (either balloon expandable or self-expanding) covered with either a synthetic (e.g., Dacron) or, less frequently, biomaterial graft tube. Stent/grafts are usually placed endoscopically, via a percutaneous approach (e.g., via the femoral artery), or via other surgical approaches.
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