If you have narrow or weak arteries, your doctor may recommend a procedure that involves stenting in order to support the walls of the damaged artery and maintain normal blood flow. A stent is a small mesh tube and can be used to treat a number of conditions that affect your arteries. Here is a look at some of those specific conditions.
Heart Disease
When plaque builds up in the coronary arteries, the flow of blood to your heart is reduced. This reduction can cause chest pain or discomfort. Plaque buildup can also lead to blood clots that form within your coronary arteries, placing you at risk for a heart attack and other forms of heart disease.
Heart disease may be treated with a procedure called angioplasty, which involves inserting a balloon catheter through your blood vessels until it reaches the blocked artery where the balloon is inflated, destroying the plaque deposits. Blood flow is restored once the artery is clear. A stent is then usually placed in the treated artery. The stent supports the inner walls of the artery by keeping it open, reducing the risk of it becoming narrow or blocked again.
Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)
PAD is recognized as blockage in the arteries that go to the legs. If left untreated, PAD can cause chronic pain, occurring in the calves or thighs. The pain, which is made worse by walking, can have a negative impact on your overall quality of life. Sometimes, this condition leads to amputation of the feet or legs.
PAD is treated with an angioplasty procedure that restores blood flow to the legs, relieving symptoms and reducing the risk of amputation. Depending on the location of the damaged artery, stenting may be used to keep the artery open and maintain blood flow. If the weakened artery is near the knee or hip joint, stenting will probably not be used, because angioplasty alone will be enough to treat PAD.
Stroke
A stroke can occur when blood vessels to the brain are clogged or when blood vessels rupture and bleed. Fortunately, angioplasty can also be used to clear some blockage found in the carotid arteries, which are the primary arteries that lead to the brain. Once the artery is unblocked, blood flow to the brain is restored. A stent is placed in the affected carotid artery to prevent the artery from collapsing and blocking blood flow.
Renal Artery Disease
The blood vessels that go to your kidneys are called renal arteries. If your renal arteries are blocked, it is common to experience such symptoms as hypertension (high blood pressure), fluid retention around the lungs, or kidney failure.
While angioplasty can be performed to treat impaired renal arteries, stenting is not always done, especially when the cause of hypertension is due to fibromuscular dysplasia. When stenting is used, it is done in order to improve blood flow to the affected kidney. Improved blood flow will relieve symptoms of hypertension, help with blood pressure control, and restore kidney function.
