Placa de ateroma que viene siendo dilatada con catéter balón	Placa comprimida hacia afuera amplian- do el diam. vascular.

1 .- What is angioplasty?

His name is well to the dilation of a blood vessel, which has narrowed due to fat or cholesterol plaques that are pasted to walls or vascular inflammatory processes of these walls, causing decline in their light through which the blood circulates.

This is done without introducing cuts and through a small hole (for a peripheral vessel, usually at the level of the groin or arm), a tube or catheter that will allow us to initially make a diagnosis on the degree of tightness or occlusion and Length of the segment in question. So with a catheter with a balloon-mounted, is the dilation of the artery, improving blood flow to the affected region.

Estrechez vascular	Angioplastía con balón	Arteria dilatada

2 .- What is it and placed a stent?

A stent is a tube as a way to a spring-walled meshed with different designs, which often placed after an angioplasty, to keep open for longer hours, the area of narrowness that has just been dilated.

The stent was admitted for the segment affected, compressed or collapsed and is well positioned when it is released, causing an immediate expansion of the stent, increasing its diameter, providing a support in this way so it does not collapse or tighten again vascular wall.

Oclusión de arteria IPD	Post angioplastia y stent

3 .- What measures should be taken after an angioplasty and / or stent in a blood vessel?

The patient must follow a change of lifestyle, which consist of:
• A diet low in fat.
• Exercises such as walking, with progressive increase of distances.
• Stop smoking as this happens frequently in smokers.
• Controlling blood pressure in hypertensive patients.
• Controlling the intake of sugars in diabetic patients.
• Take antiplatelet medication, which will be shown together with other drugs by his doctor, to help non-forming cholesterol plaques on the walls of blood vessels.