Stenting Specialist

What is stenting?

Stenting is a procedure in which your neurovascular surgeon places tiny tubes in your blood vessels to widen them and hold them open. You may need stenting in your carotid and vertebral arteries or the small intracranial blood vessels inside your head.

The team at RIA Neurovascular usually performs stenting to open blocked blood vessels. In many cases, the surgeons place stents in emergency procedures, but when blockages are diagnosed and located early, they can be used preventively.

What happens during stenting?

The neurovascular surgeons at RIA Neurovascular use different techniques to place stents, depending on the location of your blocked artery. 

Intracranial stenting

If you need intracranial stenting, your surgeon makes a small incision in your wrist or hip. They use contrast dye, fluoroscopy, and a catheter to reach the blocked arteries. When the catheter is in place, your surgeon inflates a tiny balloon in your veins to compress the plaque that’s clogging your blood vessels. When the blood vessel is open, they send the stent through the catheter and place it at the site of the blockage to hold it open. 

Carotid and vertebral stenting

If you need carotid and vertebral stenting, your surgeon uses a minimally invasive catheter procedure to place self-expanding mesh tubes in your carotid and vertebral arteries. In most cases, your surgeon makes an incision in your thigh and sends a contrast dye and catheter through your body to reach your carotid and vertebral arteries. 

When the catheter is in place, your surgeon inflates a small surgical balloon to open your artery before placing the stent. The stent creates outward force on the walls of your artery and holds it open. 

What should I expect after stenting?

If you have stenting as part of emergency treatment, you stay in the ICU unit of the hospital and have additional neurovascular care until your surgeons are confident that you are healthy enough to go home and continue your recovery. However, if you have stenting preventatively, you stay overnight for observation and should be able to go home the day after your procedure. You will have follow-up appointments to check on the effectiveness of your stenting procedure.  

If you’re looking for experienced neurovascular surgeons who can perform delicate intracranial stenting procedures, call RIA Neurovascular or make an appointment online.