What is a Coronary Artery stent?
A coronary stent is stainless tube with slots. It is mounted on a balloon catheter in a "crimped" or collapsed state. When the balloon of is inflated, the stent expands or opens up and pushes itself against the inner wall of the coronary artery. This holds the artery open when the balloon is deflated and removed.
- How Are Stents Used?
- How Are Stents Placed?
- What To Expect Before a Stent Procedure?
- What To Expect During a Stent Procedure ?
- What Are the Risks of Having a Stent?
- Key points Stents
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How Are Stents Placed?
Prior to performing stenting, the location and type of blockage plus the shape and size the coronary arteries have to be defined. This helps the cardiologist decide whether it is appropriate to proceed with angioplasty or to consider other treatment options such angioplasty, atherectomy, medications or surgery.
Cardiac catheterization is a specialized study of the heart during which a catheter or thin hollow flexible tube is inserted into the artery of the groin or arm. Under x-ray visualization, the tip of the catheter is guided to the heart. Pressures are measured and an x-ray angiogram or movie of the heart and blood vessels is obtained while an iodine- containing colorless "dye" or contrast material is injected into the artery through a catheter. The iodinated solution blocks the passage of x-rays and causes the coronary arteries to be visualized in the angios. In other words, coronary arteries are not ordinarily visible on x-ray film. However, they can be made temporarily seem by filling them with a contrast solution that blocks x-ray.
For Arteries Narrowed by Plaque
Once the tube is in the area of the artery that needs treatment:
- • Your doctor uses a special dye to help see narrowed areas of the blood vessel.
- • Your doctor inflates the balloon. It pushes against the plaque and compresses it against the artery wall. The fully extended balloon also expands the surrounding stent, pushing it into place in the artery.
- • The balloon is deflated and taken out along with the catheter. The stent remains in your artery. Cells in your artery eventually grow to cover the mesh of the stent and create an inner layer that looks like the inside of a normal blood vessel.
Coronary Artery Stent Placement
The illustration shows the placement of a stent in a coronary artery with plaque buildup. Figure A shows the deflated balloon catheter and closed stent inserted into the narrowed coronary artery. The inset image on figure A shows a cross-section of the artery with the inserted balloon catheter and closed stent.
In figure B, the balloon is inflated, expanding the stent and compressing the plaque to restore the size of the artery. Figure C shows normal blood flow restored in the stent-widened artery. The inset image on figure C shows a cross-section of the compressed plaque and stent-widened artery.
A very narrow artery, or one that's hard to reach with a catheter, may require more steps to place a stent. This type of artery usually is first expanded by inflating a small balloon. The balloon is then removed and replaced by another larger balloon with the collapsed stent around it. At this point, your doctor can follow the standard practice of compressing the plaque and placing the stent.
When angioplasty and stent placement are done on carotid arteries, a special filter device is used. The filter helps keep blood clots and loose pieces of plaque from passing into the bloodstream and traveling up to the brain during the procedure.
For Aortic Aneurysms
The procedure to place a stent in an artery with an aneurysm is very similar to the one used for an artery narrowed by plaque. The stent used to treat an aneurysm is different, though. It’s made out of pleated fabric, often with one or more tiny hooks.
Once the stent has been placed and expanded to fit tight against the artery wall, the hooks on the stent latch on to the artery wall. This anchors the stent.
The stent creates a new inner lining for that portion of the artery. Cells in the artery eventually grow to cover the fabric and create an inner layer that looks like the inside of a normal blood vessel.
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