A stent is a tiny tube placed into a hollow structure in your body. This structure can be an artery, a vein, or another structure, such as the tube that carries urine (ureter). The stent holds the structure open.
Description
When a stent is placed into the body, the procedure is called stenting. There are different kinds of stents. Most are made of a metal or plastic mesh-like material. However, stent grafts are made of fabric. They are used in larger arteries.
A coronary artery stent is a small, self-expanding, metal mesh tube. It is placed inside a coronary artery after balloon angioplasty. This stent prevents the artery from re-closing.
A drug-eluting stent is coated with a medicine. This medicine helps further prevent the arteries from re-closing. Like other coronary artery stents, it is left permanently in the artery.
Why the Procedure is Performed
Most of the time, stents are used when arteries become narrow or blocked.
Stents are commonly used to treat the following conditions that result from blocked or damaged blood vessels:
- Coronary heart disease (CHD) (angioplasty and stent placement - heart)
- Peripheral artery disease (angioplasty and stent replacement - peripheral arteries)
- Renal artery stenosis
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm (aortic aneurysm repair - endovascular)
- Carotid artery disease (carotid artery surgery)
Other reasons to use stents include:
- Keeping open a blocked or damaged ureter (percutaneous urinary procedures)
- Treating aneurysms, including thoracic aortic aneurysms
- Keeping bile flowing in blocked bile ducts (biliary stricture)
- Helping you breathe if you have a blockage in the airways
Risks
Related topics include:
The risks of stent placement depend on the part of the body being treated. Possible complications include bleeding, infection, damage to nearby tissues or blood vessels, movement of the stent from its intended position, blockage or narrowing within the stent, blood clots, and the need for another procedure.
Alternative Names
Drug-eluting stents; Urinary or ureteral stents; Coronary stents
Patient Instructions
- Angioplasty and stent - heart - discharge
- Angioplasty and stent placement - carotid artery - discharge
- Angioplasty and stent placement - peripheral arteries - discharge
- Aortic aneurysm repair - endovascular - discharge
- Cardiac catheterization - discharge
- Carotid artery surgery - discharge
- Percutaneous urinary procedures - discharge
- Peripheral artery bypass - leg - discharge
References
King EG, McGinigle KL, Farber A. Peripheral occlusive disease. In: Tyler DS, Hayes-Dixon A, Hines OJ, et al, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 22nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2026:chap 103.
Teirstein PS, Kirtane AJ. Interventional diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 59.
Textor SC. Renovascular hypertension and ischemic nephropathy. In: Luyckx VA, Chertow GM, Yu ASL, Marsden PA, Skorecki K, Taal MW, eds. Brenner and Rector's The Kidney. 12th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2026:chap 47.
White CJ. Atherosclerotic peripheral arterial disease. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 65.
Review Date 5/12/2026
Updated by: Deepak Sudheendra, MD, MHCI, RPVI, FSIR, CEO & Medical Director, 360 Vascular Institute, with an expertise in Vascular Interventional Radiology & Surgical Critical Care, Columbus, OH. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.