After the balloon compresses the plaque, a stent, or a stainless, steel coil, is put in. The stent, which becomes permanently incorporated in the wall of the vessel, is strong and rigid. It, too, compresses the plaque, but since it remains in the artery permanently, unlike the balloon, which is deflated and removed, it was thought to prevent the plaque from building up again in that area. Recently, though, researchers have found restenosis, or the reblocking of the artery, happens with stents, too. It can be caused by the deposit of new substances in the blood or from scarring.
Patients often have to have repeat surgery to open the blocked area.
Doctors at William Beaumont Hospital in Michigan are turning to alcohol as a way to keep the arteries from becoming blocked after a stent is put in. In the experimental procedure, doctors insert a tiny catheter into the area of the blockage and inject tiny amounts of alcohol into the area. Once the alcohol breaks up the blockage, a balloon is used to clear it and a stent is inserted. The alcohol kills the scar tissue and prevents it from building up along the stent and blocking the artery again. Now we have substantive proof that alcohol does help, at least in some way.