Can angioplasty and stenting be used to treat stroke?

Physicians can now use angioplasty to treat some blockages in the carotid arteries – the main arteries leading to the brain. Strokes can occur when these blood vessels leading to the brain are narrowed and clots that are there break off and go to the brain (ischemic stroke) or when blood vessels rupture and bleed (hemorrhagic stroke).

Angioplasty, a procedure that uses thin, flexible tubes called catheters, is used to push aside blockages in the carotid arteries or the arteries in the brain where the blood clots go, improving blood flow to the brain. A stent – a metal, mesh tube – is implanted in the artery wall during the angioplasty procedure to prevent the artery from collapsing and once again blocking blood flow. In the carotid arteries, angioplasty and stenting are often used in conjunction.