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A stent is a small mesh tube that holds open passages in the body, such as weak or narrow arteries. Stents are often used to treat narrowed coronary arteries that supply the heart with oxygen-rich blood. The stent holds open the narrowed arteries to allow adequate blood to flow to the heart

Why would I need a stent?

Stents are usually needed when plaque blocks a blood vessel. Plaque is made of cholesterol and other substances that attach to the walls of a vessel.

You may need a stent during an emergency procedure. An emergency procedure is more common if an artery of the heart called a coronary artery is blocked. Your doctor will first place a catheter into the blocked coronary artery. This will allow them to do a balloon angioplasty to open the blockage. They’ll then place a stent in the artery to keep the vessel open.

Stents can also be useful to prevent aneurysms from rupturing in your brain, aorta, or other blood vessels.

Besides blood vessels, stents can open any of the following passageways:

bile ducts, which are tubes that carry bile to and from digestive organs
bronchi, which are small airways in the lungs
ureters, which are tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder
These tubes can become blocked or damaged just like blood vessels can.