Stent

Stents are tiny tubes of metal mesh used to keep arteries that have been cleared open. A stent covering a deflated balloon is threaded into the artery on the tip of a thin tube. Once in place, the balloon inflates and opens the stent. The balloon is then deflated and removed, but the stent remains in place stabilizing the artery wall. Eventually it becomes part of the artery. The procedure usually takes one to two hours. Stents cannot be used in every artery. Common usages include carotid (neck or brain), renal (kidney) and peripheral artery (legs) stents.