What is stenting of the leg arteries?

If you have muscle pain when you make an effort, which disappears when the effort stopped, you may have leg artery stenosis. The gold standard diagnosis is made by computer tomography or magnetic resonance imaging of the arteries of the legs, and also by vascular ultrasound (less precise but still valid). Alexandru Mischie explains that medical treatment is the first choice, but if symptoms do not disappear, surgical or percutaneous (stent) treatment may be necessary. Percutaneous treatment is based on arterial catheterization and angiography technique. The process is the same as in the case of coronary stents. The duration of surgery is 1-2 hours and hospitalization is approximately 1-2 days.

What is mesenteric artery stenting ?

It is used for the treatment of infarction of a mesenteric artery (the arteries supplying the gut). The gut receives blood from 3 arteries; if two arteries are narrowed or blocked, you can you experience abdominal pain after meals; pain may become severe enough that you can be sometimes afraid to eat, thus you will to lose weight. Blockage of the arteries can be diagnosed by arterial catheterization angiography (the best way), CT (computed tomography) or vascular ultrasound (weakest diagnostic method).

Depending on the severity of the stenosis and the patient’s general condition, treatment may be:

Bypass surgery: is performed under general anesthesia through open abdominal surgery. The surgeon uses a plastic tube or a vein from one leg in order to create a “bridge” that would short-circuit the blockage. Average length of hospital stay is 7 days.

Percutaneous stent implantation: catheterization technique is performed under local anesthesia. The process is similar to coronary stenting. A catheter inserted through a femoral artery sheath is advanced through the aorta up to the blocked mesenteric artery. A stent is advanced through the catheter that will unblock the artery, allowing blood to move normally again. Average length of hospital stay is 2-3 days.

What is carotid stenting ?

It is used for the treatment of stroke or symptomatic carotid disease. The carotid arteries are the arteries that supply blood to the brain. The process is similar to coronary stenting. During the stent implantation procedure, a “filter” (catheter that has a filter at the end) can be positioned after the stenosis to “catch” those particles thet will be washed away by the bloodstream after balloon dilatation and stent implantation ; this way it is avoided a iatrogenic stroke (related to the procedure itself). At the end of the procedure, the filter is removed.

Intervention time is 1 hour and hospitalization is approximately 1-2 days.

All data on this site is purely informational and should not be considered medical advice. If you need a medical oppinion consult a physician.