Coronary stent - procedure,

advantages, applicability

The stent is a medical implant that is inserted into hollow organs to hold them open. It is usually a small wireframe in tube form made of metal or synthetic fibers.

A stent is inserted in the coronary vessel in case of the narrowing of blood vessels or to prevent repeated constriction during a cardiac catheter examination.

Its advantages: It fixes calcification fragments in the vessels and improves the blood flow properties by straightening the inside surface of the vessels. Furthermore, a stent is resistant to the re-contracting of the widened section.

A heart procedure for placing a stent is minimally invasive: The constricted area in the vessel is initially pre-stretched with a balloon. The collapsed stent is then placed in the constricted area. Finally, the stent is expanded by means of a balloon. The placement of a stent is accompanied by medicinal treatments, which minimize the risk of re-occlusion or thrombosis.