Coronary Stenting

Coronary Stenting/Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation is a treatment for patients with coronary artery disease (obstructed blood flow through the coronary arteries). The physician first performs a percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). A special catheter (thin, flexible tube with a balloon at its tip) is inserted into the femoral artery and threaded up into the obstructed coronary artery. Once in place, the balloon is inflated to push the plaque in the artery back against the wall of the artery. The stent (a tube made of wire mesh) is then placed in this area to hold the artery open. The stent helps to reduce the chance of restenosis (re-narrowing) of the artery. Drug-eluting stents prevent scar tissue growth, a frequent reaction that leads to reblockage of the artery.