Coronary Artery Stenting

A coronary stent is a small, slotted round tube made of medical-grade stainless steel designed to support the wall of the coronary artery. This is used to prevent re-narrowing (restenosis) of the area. The stent is placed over a balloon catheter, passed through the blockage and expanded to stay inside the artery.

A drug-eluting stent allows for the release of a particular drug at the stent implantation site.  This drug limits the overgrowth of normal tissue as the healing process occurs.  Studies have shown that this process significantly lowers the incidence of repeat procedures.