What is drug-eluting stenting?

A stent is placed in a coronary artery during an angioplasty procedure.

A doctor inserts a thin, flexible tube called a catheter into an artery in your groin or arm. The doctor moves the catheter through that artery to the coronary arteries. The doctor then uses dye to see any arteries that are blocked or narrowed. If you have a blocked or narrowed artery, a tiny balloon is moved through the catheter. It is used to widen the artery.

The doctor uses the balloon to place a stent in the artery. The balloon is placed inside the stent and inflated. This opens the stent and pushes it into place against the artery wall. Because the stent is like woven mesh, the cells lining the blood vessel grow through and around the stent to help secure it.