Now ... while these are not quite as amusing or disgusting as Laura's recent arterial pictures, we can agree that the results are happier:
This is a picture of the problem area prior to the surgery (click any of the images to get a larger picture):
A picture of the actual stent:
The artery after the surgery:
From Wikipedia:
... a stent is either an expandable wire mesh or hollow perforated tube that is inserted into a hollow structure of the body to keep it open.
The main purpose of a stent is to overcome important decreases in vessel or duct diameter. Stents are often used to diminish pressure differences in blood flow to organs beyond an obstruction in order to maintain an adequate delivery of oxygen. ... the most popular use of stents is linked to the coronary arteries.
Prior to deployment, a stent is collapsed into a small diameter; current stents are self-expandable or can be dilated using an inflatable balloon. After expansion, stents are affixed to the vessel or duct wall by their own radial tension. These devices are most commonly inserted under fluoroscopic guidance or endoscopy, procedures that are generally less invasive than conventional surgery.
... general anesthesia is usually not required for stent insertion. For these reasons, stents have offered clear benefits over conventional surgery that include, overall, shorter recovery periods and hospital stays.
6 comments:
Yeek. That's pretty cool though. Glad everything's ok.
Yeah, I'm sure Mom would be thrilled that her insides are splattered all over the internet. She's shy in a group of 2 people.
Excellent news. Thanks for the update.
Good news indeed.
By the way, Field Mashall Von Rumsfeld was caught in a lie by former CIA analyst during a speech in Georgia. Go to this post on my blog to see the video, hear the audio and read the transcript.
http://geniusofinsanityworld.blogspot.com/2006/05/breaking-news-rumsfeld-exposed-by.html
What's really cool is that you get to watch the whole thing as it happens. Watch em thread the snake thing through your arteries, watch em blow up the balloon. Then watch em do the same thing all over again when they put the stent in.
The second time must have gotten boring, because they kept yelling at me not to fall asleep.
Dr. Sherb was not ammused when I asked if we could switch to "The Price Is Right". However, the nurses thought it was hillarious. Cardiologists just have no sense of humor!
Gawd, you know you are getting old when you fondly remenice about your heart procedure!
GWB -- The important thing IS that you have a remembrance of your heart procedure. That means it went OK ... and we're the luckier for it.
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