Stents - Before Getting a Stent - Before Getting a Stent
Your doctor and specialists on your healthcare team can determine if you need a stent by using certain tests and procedures. If you need a stent, talk to your doctor about how to prepare for the procedure.
Diagnostic tests and procedures
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Stents - Before Getting a Stent
To diagnose narrowed arteries or an aortic aneurysm, your doctor may have you undergo some of the following tests and procedures:
- Chest magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to look for aneurysms in the aorta. This test works well for detecting aneurysms and pinpointing their size and exact location.
- Computer tomography angiography (CTA) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) to take pictures of your blood vessels. These tests may give your doctor more information about the flow of blood and whether arteries are narrowed or have aneurysms.
- Coronary angiography to see how blood flows through your coronary arteries. This type of test involves injecting dye into your blood so that your blood vessels can be seen by X-ray.
- Fractional flow reserve can help determine how narrow the artery is. This is an added test done during CTA or coronary angiography to check the blood pressure in a specific artery.
- Ultrasound to see whether plaque has narrowed or blocked your carotid or peripheral arteries or to see if you have an aneurysm and where it may be located. This painless test uses high-energy sound waves to create pictures of the insides of your blood vessels.
- Echocardiography (echo) to evaluate the structure and function of your heart. Echocardiography uses sound waves to create moving pictures of your heart.
- Nuclear imaging to see whether the blood is flowing normally to the heart. Your doctor will inject a tracer substance that will show whether the heart is receiving enough blood flow.
To diagnose narrowed airways, your doctor may have you undergo some of the following tests and procedures:
- Bronchoscopy to figure out the location and severity of the narrowed airway
- Chest CT scan to see whether one of your airways is being affected by a tumor, pneumonia, mucus, or other problem
- Pulmonary function tests to measure how well your lungs are working
Preparing for the stenting procedure
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Stents - Before Getting a Stent
You may need additional tests, such as blood tests, EKG, chest X-ray, or chest CT scan, to prepare you for the procedure. Tell your doctor about any medicines you take, other surgical procedures you have had, and any medical conditions you have, such as diabetes, kidney disease, or sleep apnea.
You will be asleep for most stent procedures, so plan to have someone to take you home. You may go home the same day or after a few days, depending on the stent and any other medical conditions you have.
Before your procedure, you will be given detailed information, including:
- When you should stop eating or drinking
- If and when you should start or stop taking medicines
- When to arrive at the hospital and where to go
- How long you should expect to stay
- What happens during the procedure
- What to expect after the procedure, including potential complications, such as bleeding or soreness
- What to do after the procedure, such as what medicines to take
- How to live with your stent
Look for
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Stents - Before Getting a Stent
- Getting a Stent will explain the procedure for placing a stent in a patient.
- Living With a Stent will discuss the importance of following your treatment plan.