Stenting
A stent is a cylindrical metallic device that is placed within the diseased artery to help keep it open. Stents are either mounted on a balloon or packaged within a specially designed catheter that can be unsheathed, to allow the stent to expand on its own and conform to the artery. Frequently after balloon angioplasty, the disease artery will re-collapse. A stent acts as a scaffold to help prevent the artery from collapsing after an angioplasty procedure. Stents can be placed in almost any artery in the body. The technique of stent placement is essentially the same as with balloon angioplasty, as is the short recovery time.
