Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty has become the most widely implemented method of heart revascularization. Despite many advances, such as application of bare metal stents, high-pressure inflation, and the recent invention of drug-eluting stents, restenosis remains the major limitation of invasive cardiology and is associated with a significant number or target lesion re-interventions. This review highlights contemporary concepts of the pathogenesis of coronary restenosis and potential targets for therapeutic intervention, with a special emphasis on the role of inflammation and distinctions in vessel re-narrowing patterns after balloon angioplasty and both bare metal and drug-eluting stenting.