What is Coronary Stenting?
Coronary Stenting involves the placement of one or more coronary stents as part of a special balloon angioplasty procedure. A coronary stent is a small, metal mesh tube that acts as a scaffold to provide support inside the coronary artery. A balloon catheter, placed over a guide wire, is used to insert the stent into the narrowed artery. Once in place, the balloon is inflated and the stent expands to the size of the artery and holds it open. The balloon is deflated and removed, and the stent stays in place permanently. There are two types of stents available: bare metal stents (BMS) and drug-eluting stents (DES). Drug-eluting stents contain a medication that is released at the stent implantation site to help prevent the blockage from reforming in the artery.
