Stent Therapy
Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)
The doctor may recommend placing a stent to reopen the blocked artery. A stent is a small, expandable, mesh-like tube that supports the artery and helps to keep it open.
Benefits:
Implanting a stent does not require open surgery. The doctor inserts a catheter into an artery in the arm or leg, similar to the balloon angioplasty procedure. A specially designed catheter delivers the stent to the narrow area in the artery. The stent is expanded, flattening the plaque against the artery wall and holding the artery open with a mesh tube. The catheter used to deliver the stent is then removed, but the stent stays in the artery permanently to maintain healthy blood flow.
Risks:
- The stent can occlude, causing reduced and/or no blood flow to the area.
- The insertion site may bleed or become infected.
- The artery may become blocked again (restenosis).
- The stent could puncture the artery (Artery Perforation)
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