Blood vessel stents

Improving blood flow

When it comes to treating a clogged or narrowed artery that leads to the heart, you may be aware of the tiny, expandable mesh tubes — or stents — that help prop open the narrowed artery. Less well-known is that stents can be used to hold open arteries in other areas of the body, as well.

In certain situations, stents are used to prop open arteries in the neck (carotid arteries) that supply blood to the brain. They are also used to open narrowed or clogged iliac arteries in the legs of people with peripheral artery disease (PAD), or to keep open arteries leading to the kidneys.

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