Arterial stenting is a procedure in which a stent, a small metal mesh tube, is placed inside an artery after it has been widened with a balloon, to help keep it open. Arterial stenting is done during a catheter procedure through a small needle puncture without a skin incision, and Dr. Walid Naser offers it in Amman when a stent suits the case.
Note: Not every narrowing needs a stent. The decision is made after examination and imaging, and sometimes during the procedure itself.
When is a stent used?
- When the artery springs back after balloon widening.
- When a tear in the artery wall happens during widening.
- In some long blockages or in certain arteries, such as the pelvic arteries.
- In selected patients with leg artery blockage or critical limb ischemia.
What does a stent treat?
A stent treats narrowing caused by atherosclerosis when a balloon alone is not enough. Risk factors for atherosclerosis include:
- Smoking.
- Diabetes.
- High blood pressure and cholesterol.
- Older age and lack of physical activity.
Assessment before stenting
Your doctor finds the location and length of the narrowing with examination and imaging before the procedure, and reviews your general health and medicines.
- Doppler ultrasound.
- CT angiography when needed.
- Blood tests and kidney function.
- A review of blood thinners and diabetes medicines.
Treatment options, simplest first
Stenting is done as part of peripheral artery angioplasty. Your doctor will explain the benefits and possible risks, such as bleeding at the puncture site or narrowing inside the stent over time.
- Lifestyle changes, regular walking and stopping smoking.
- Medicines prescribed by your doctor for risk factors.
- Balloon angioplasty alone when it is enough.
- A bare-metal or drug-coated stent depending on where the narrowing is and what it is like.
- Open surgery when the case does not suit treatment from inside the artery.
The day of the procedure and after
Stenting is usually done under local anaesthetic. The stent is carried folded on a balloon, opened at the narrowing and left in place.
- Rest with pressure on the puncture site and checks on your leg.
- Your doctor prescribes medicines to lower the risk of a clot forming in the stent; do not stop them without advice.
- A gradual return to activity as instructed.
- Follow-up visits and Doppler scans to check the stent.
When to book an appointment
- Leg pain when walking or at rest.
- A foot wound that does not heal.
- Symptoms returning after a previous angioplasty or stent.