Coronary stents are small, metallic wire mesh tubes (stent) or temporary plastic jackets (scaffold) that help in open a clogged artery and restore adequate blood flow to the heart.
During the stent implantation procedure, cardiologist will place the stent or scaffold over a thin, long tube with a balloon tip called a catheter and insert it into an artery in your groin or arm. Once the stent reaches the clogged artery, your doctor will inflate the balloon to expand the stent or scaffold. When the stent or scaffold reaches the desired location to widen the clogged artery, your doctor will deflate and remove the balloon.
The stent will stay in place permanently or scaffold will elute once stabilizing the coronary vessel, and decrease its chance of narrowing again. Over time, the inside lining of the artery (the endothelium) will grow over the surface of the stent or scaffold, making it a normally functioning artery.