What are stenosis and restenosis?
Stenosis means constriction or narrowing. A coronary artery that’s constricted or narrowed is called stenosed. Buildup of fat, cholesterol and other substances over time may clog the artery. To learn more about stenosis of heart valves, see “Heart Valves” in this guide. One way to widen a coronary artery is by using percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI, or balloon angioplasty). Some patients who undergo PCI have restenosis (renarrowing) of the widened segment within about six months of the procedure. Restenosed arteries may have to undergo another angioplasty. One way to help prevent restenosis is by using stents. A stent is a wire mesh tube used to prop open an artery after angioplasty. Restenosis is less common in stented arteries. Studies are under way using stents covered with drugs that show promise for improving the long-term success of this procedure. Stenosis can also occur after a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) operation. This type of heart surgery is done to reroute,
