Arteries have three layers: a thin, smooth inner layer, a muscular, elastic middle layer and an external layer of connective tissue. Inflating an angioplasty balloon inside an artery affected by atherosclerotic buildup causes a kind of controlled, helpful injury to the artery. As doctors inflate the balloon, the smooth inner layer, which typically covers any plaque buildup inside the artery, stretches and tears as the balloon inflates. When the balloon continues to inflate, plaque deposits are compressed, and any fluid in the plaque deposit is squeezed out. The plaque may break, or fracture, and the muscular middle layer of the artery begins to stretch. Usually, the external layer of an artery is not stretched during angioplasty.
The compression and break-up of plaque deposits enlarges the area inside an artery through which blood may flow. Also, when the inner layer of an artery is stretched and torn, the body's natural healing process is triggered, which also helps the process of breaking down and reducing the size of the plaque and smoothing the internal surface of the vessel.
During angioplasty, doctors inflate a tiny balloon inside an artery to reduce the size of plaque buildup, expanding the diameter inside of the blood vessel and improving blood flow.
Stents are slender metal-mesh tubes placed inside a blood vessel to act as scaffolding that helps keep blood vessels wide open.
BENEFITS
There are dramatic benefits to Minimally Invasive Vascular Surgery. Surgery without major incision minimizes tissue damage allowing for a shorter hospital stay and faster recovery time. Patients also enjoy reduced post-operative pain and less scarring than open surgery.
This intervention technique may be applied to selected vessels in different areas of the body:
- Carotid Artery Stenosis
- Aortic branches such as the Subclavian artery
- Renal Artery Stenosis
- PVD caused by blockages in vessels such as the Iliac and Femoral artery
- Varicose Vein Treatment
