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TREATMENTS OF ARTERIAL DISEASES
Treatment of Arterial Diseases
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Narrowing or blockage in the arteries is most often caused by atherosclerosis, also called hardening of the arteries. Atherosclerosis can affect arteries anywhere in the body, including the legs and the brain. It is a gradual process in which cholesterol and other fatty deposits (plaques) build up on the artery walls. These plaques act as barriers that limit blood flow through the arteries to tissues and organs. Other barriers to adequate blood flow include clots or plaques that break away from the blood vessel wall and become lodged in an artery.
In many cases, interventional radiologists can open blocked and narrowed blood vessels caused by peripheral arterial disease. Angioplasty and vascular stenting are commonly used to treat conditions that result when arteries throughout the body become narrowed or blocked. Balloon angioplasty is a procedure in which a catheter is placed in the vessel under x-ray guidance to the site of the narrowing, and a balloon is inflated to open the narrowed blood vessel. Alternatively in some cases, a small mesh cylinder called a stent may be inserted through the catheter and left behind in the vessel to keep it open.
Key Advantages:
- In most cases hospitalization is limited to one or two days and general anesthesia may not be required
- There is no large abnormal surgical incision- just a small nick in the skin- and no stitches are needed.
- Often, patients may return to normal activity shortly after the procedure.
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