A stent is a small, coiled wire-mesh tube that can be inserted into
a blood vessel and expanded using a small balloon during a procedure called
angioplasty. A stent is used to open a narrowed or clotted blood vessel, most
often an artery in the heart.
When the balloon inside the stent is inflated, the stent expands
and presses against the walls of the artery. This traps any fat and calcium
buildup against the walls of the artery, allows blood to flow through the
artery, and helps prevent the artery from closing again (restenosis). It can
also help prevent small pieces of plaque from breaking off and causing a heart
attack.
To insert the stent, a flexible, thin tube (catheter) is passed
through an artery in the groin or arm into the narrowed artery. Then the
balloon inside the stent is inflated.
Some stents are coated with a medicine to more effectively prevent
restenosis.
