Angioplasty and stenting

Arteries throughout your body may become blocked over time due to a number of factors, including smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity. This reduces blood flow to tissues and organs. Angioplasty involves the mechanical dilation of narrowed or blocked arteries with a balloon catheter (thin plastic tube with an elongated inflatable balloon at its tip) to restore blood flow through the artery. Stenting is an adjunctive technique where the artery is held open with a stent (metal mesh tube). The stent is a permanent implant that is positioned at the region of blockage and acts as a mechanical scaffold to support the vessel wall and keep it open.

This procedure is often performed under conscious sedation in an operating room with specialised medical imaging equipment. Your interventional radiologist will pass a small tube into the artery of your groin or wrist, navigating the tube into the target artery using x-ray guidance. Contrast (x-ray dye) is then injected, and x-rays are taken as the contrast pass through the vessels, defining the anatomy of the vessel. A thin wire is passed through the narrowed or blocked vessel over which a balloon catheter is passed, which is then used to open up the narrowed segment. In some cases, balloon angioplasty is enough to keep the vessel open, however in some instances, it is necessary to insert a stent to keep the artery open.