a small support that is put inside a blood vessel (= tube) in the body, in order to keep the blood vessel open enough for blood to flow through (防止栓塞等而植入的)血管支架 Word Originlate 19th cent. (originally referring to a substance used in dentistry for making impressions of the teeth): from the name of Charles T. Stent (1807–85), English dentist. The sense ‘splint’ dates from the 1960s.