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| Definition: |
A stent is defined as any material that is used to hold tissue in place.
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| Description: |
A stent is often used to support tissues while healing takes place. Common uses include keeping "tube-shaped" structures open after a surgical procedure (such as blood vessels or the ureters -- the tubes that drain the kidney).
An intraluminal coronary artery stent is a small, self-expanding, stainless steel mesh tube that is placed within a coronary artery to keep the vessel open. It may be used during a coronary artery bypass graft surgery to keep the grafted vessel open, after balloon angioplasty to prevent reclosure of the blood vessel, or during other heart surgeries.
There are many uses for stents. A few include:
- AV fistula creation (a procedure used to create access to the blood for hemodialysis)
- reattachment of the intestines after a temporary colostomy
- to keep the ureters open after surgery to repair a blocked ureter
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Review Date: 10/10/2001
Reviewed By: Victoria Kennedy, RN, A.D.A.M. editorial.
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