Memorial Hermann Baptist Beaumont Hospital Performs New Stent Procedure to Help Prevent Stroke

Cardiologists at Memorial Hermann Baptist Beaumont Hospital have made a breakthrough in Southeast Texas.  Jose Ballesteros, MD, Board Certified Cardiologist, along with a specially trained team, has performed the first insertion of a minimally invasive stent designed to open blocked arteries in the neck.  The device – the first FDA – approved of its kind – was approved for use in patients who have had symptoms of a stroke, whose carotid artery is at least 70 percent blocked, and are not good candidates for the surgical alternative. The new stent is intended to prevent a stroke by treating blockage in the internal carotid artery - the main blood vessel leading to the brain. 

“Carotid stents offer physicians and patients a less-invasive option for clearing blocked neck arteries. This new stent is another step forward in the prevention of stroke,” Ballesteros stated. “This new approach will hopefully give patients an effective, minimally invasive option that may also speed their recovery.”

Stents, which are small metal mesh tubes, are already approved for use in heart arteries.  The newest treatment option, carotid artery stenting, is a minimally invasive procedure in which a physician uses a combination of balloon angioplasty and a stent implant to unblock and reopen the carotid artery to help prevent strokes. A catheter is inserted through a tiny incision in the groin into the femoral artery, a large blood vessel in the leg. Using fluoroscopy or x-ray, the catheter is navigated to the site of the blockage via the circulatory system’s network of blood vessels. An embolic protection system with a filter that catches any loose pieces of plaque is first delivered to the artery and opened against the artery walls. A balloon catheter is next delivered to the site and then expanded to press plaque against the artery walls, where another catheter is used to deliver a stent to the blockage site. The stent is placed to help keep the vessel open. Plaque that is dislodged during the procedure is captured by the embolic protection system, which is then collapsed and removed.

Currently, blockages in the carotid artery are treated with a surgical procedure called carotid endarterectomy in which surgeons cut into the neck artery to remove the blockage.  Patients require general anesthesia for the procedure.  With the new system, manufactured by Guidant Corporation, of Santa Clara, California, patients usually only require local anesthesia.

The new stent system has successfully opened blockages in 92 percent of patients. Stroke is the third leading cause of death and a leading cause of severe, long-term disability in the United States.  This new procedure, partnered with our physicians and staff, will compliment our aggressive StrokeSense program designed to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of a stroke. Memorial Hermann Baptist Beaumont Hospital offers a comprehensive line of procedures for the prevention and treatment of peripheral vascular diseases.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mary Poole     
Memorial Hermann Baptist Hospitals
Beaumont & Orange
(409) 212-6145/Pgr. (409) 841-1901