Stenting

Stenting is an operation to widen the lumen of a deformed vessel, most often performed to restore blood supply to the heart.

Stenting is performed in several stages, the first of which is coronary angiography, which is performed for diagnostic purposes. It allows you to clearly visualize the coronary vessels (blood vessels that feed the heart muscle). For this purpose, a special contrast agent is injected through the femoral artery via a catheter, which is carried with the blood flow into the coronary vessels and allows them to be visualized on digital X-rays.

The operation itself is also performed under radiologic control with constant ECG monitoring. The patient is conscious during stenting, he/she can give comments about his/her well-being, as well as hold his/her breath or take a deep breath at the doctor’s request.

Operation progress

A thin metal guide is inserted through a blood vessel on the thigh or arm using a special catheter into the lumen of the narrowed coronary artery. This entire process is monitored on a monitor. The guide has a metal balloon with a diameter similar to the diameter of the affected part of the vessel. A stent made of materials compatible with human tissue is placed on this balloon in a compressed state. When the balloon reaches the desired area, it is inflated, while the stent expands, presses into the wall of the blood vessel and forms its framework. In order to be completely sure that the stent is installed correctly, the balloon is inflated several times, after which it is deflated and removed from the artery along with the catheter and the guide. The stent remains in place and keeps the blood vessel passable. Sometimes it is necessary to insert several stents at the same time.

At the German Heart Center, about 3,000 such operations are performed each year. The chief physician alone performs stenting on five patients every day, which amounts to about 1,200 cases per year. And, as we know, the risk of postoperative complications is lower in those hospitals where certain surgical interventions are performed in large numbers.

The legend of stenting is Professor Sjömig, who was for many years the head of the center and chief physician. He is currently retired and continues to work in a private clinic.

coronary stentingstenting in Germanystenting in munich