Moving a stent to its desired location is done via a catheter. The procedure may be performed to maintain the lumen of coronary arteries, the aorta and a variety of different blood vessels within the brain.
Stent © medicalpictureThe so-called cath-lab (short for catheter laboratory) is the small operating room in which the stenting procedure is performed. In case of an ischemic attack of the heart due to a clogged coronary artery for example, a balloon catheter will be used to press the plaque clogging the vessel onto the vessel walls, thus reopening the lumen. The role of the balloon is in fact twofold, one is of course the reopening of the vessel, the other is pressing the stent onto the vessel walls in order to prevent reclosure. Once the stent has been placed snugly onto the inner surface of the artery, the balloon is deflated and the catheter is retracted.
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