1 .- What is angioplasty?

It is the dilation of a blood vessel with a small balloon that is inflated in the inside. The vessels usually get narrowed due to fat or cholesterol plaques that are pasted to the walls or due to vascular inflammatory processes of these walls, causing a diminishing in the diameter through which the blood circulates.

This procedure is performed without cuts, through a small pinhole (for a peripheral vessel usually at the level of the groin or arm). A very thin tube or catheter is introduced and contrast has to be injected. This will allow us to initially make a diagnosis on the degree of tightness or occlusion and length of the segment in question. Immediately after a catheter with a balloon-mounted in it, is introduced to the exact location. Once in place the balloon is inflated and the dilation of the vessel occurrs, improving blood flow to the affected region.

2 .- What is a stent?

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

3 .- How is a stent placed?

Once the catheter with the balloon have dilated a certain area of the vessel the stent compressed or collapsed inside the catheter is positioned. When it is released causes an immediate expansion increasing its diameter and providing a support, so ithe dilated vessel does not collapse or tighten again.

4.- What measures should be taken after an angioplasty with or without stent?

The patient should make a a change of his lifestyle. The basic indications are:

A healthy low fat diet.
Exercises such as walking, with progressive increase of distances.
Quit smoking Tight control of blood pressure in hypertensive patients.
Strict control of blood sugar levels in diabetic patients.
Take daily antiplatelet medication.
Take daily drugs to avoid the cholesterol plaques on the walls of blood vessels.
Plus many other indications that his physician should provide.