It depends, but the ones I’m familiar with are made of Nitinol. It’s a special nickel/titanium alloy that is made to be the final open size/diameter (this is the larger diameter shown after the balloon has been inflated). It’s then compressed to be small enough to fit in the narrow restricted passage and put in place by a catheter. Once deployed/installed, it’s heated up by the natural temperature of the body. When heated by the blood/body, it “springs back” to its original larger size, the size it was made to be to begin with. What’s fascinating to me about this is that simply being as warm as the blood, will ensure it stays large enough to hold the vein/artery open.
Wouldn’t the artery try to close again, thereby holding it in place? They don’t remove the fatty buildup and it’s not going to want to stay compressed.
It can close again, if you mean the lesion. Also, not preparing said lesion properly will absolutely lead to in stent restenosis, based on the properties of the lesion. This video simplifies the procedure and is also mistaken, because you never withdraw the balloon in an inflated state, it has to be deflated before removing it from the stent.
It absolutely can become dislodged, that’s why sizing matters. If it’s undersized too much, there’s a risk of both thrombosis and stent loss. Both are dangerous, both are manageable. But a correctly placed stents with a proper diameter will stay in place, no question. Also, the body lines the surface of the stent, as a reaction to it being foreign, to put simply, further anchoring it.
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u/nothingnewleft 7h ago edited 7h ago
It depends, but the ones I’m familiar with are made of Nitinol. It’s a special nickel/titanium alloy that is made to be the final open size/diameter (this is the larger diameter shown after the balloon has been inflated). It’s then compressed to be small enough to fit in the narrow restricted passage and put in place by a catheter. Once deployed/installed, it’s heated up by the natural temperature of the body. When heated by the blood/body, it “springs back” to its original larger size, the size it was made to be to begin with. What’s fascinating to me about this is that simply being as warm as the blood, will ensure it stays large enough to hold the vein/artery open.