How is a carotid artery stent placed?
The procedure is performed while you are awake and alert. This is necessary to monitor you neurological status during the procedure. Before the procedure begins, you will be connected to a monitor that shows your heart rate and blood pressure. You may also be instructed to squeeze a small toy or ball to help monitor your brain function during the procedure. Your physician will numb the catheter insertion area by giving you a local anesthetic. They may give you other medications to reduce the chances of your heart slowing down. Next a tiny puncture is performed in the groin (upper part of the leg). Then, by using a wire, a catheter (a long thin tube) will be advanced through the vascular system and up into the neck artery (carotid artery). You will not feel the catheters as they move through your arteries because there are no nerve endings inside your arteries. Your physician then injects a dye into your arteries and takes X-rays to locate narrow areas in your arteries. If the narrow ar
