Weird that you asked this question. My Dad had one 10 years ago. I guess they are only good for ten years (then you have to have another). This morning, he called me because he was having “tightness in his chest”. I flew home from work. I got my sister on the phone (she’s an R.N.) and she told him to go up to the hospital, but, he refused. He rested for 2 hours and I stayed with him. It scared the crap out of all of us. He’s feeling better now, but, we are all concerned. He’s stubborn and I feel that he should be checked out.

Sorry, I don’t know anything about the surgery.

@jmah-Thank you for your answer.I am deciding whether or not to have one done in my neck as a treatment for multiple sclerosis.I have researched so many different treatments and theree seems to be a correlation between blocked arteries in the neck and ms patients.I am still looking into this of course,but I am an experimental kind of gal and this looks promising to me.I guess my main question should have been if the patient experienced positive results fairly quick after recovery and I am trying to assuage some fears I have about them slicing my neck open :))I wish your dad well and hope he gets taken care of soon:i

My husband had angioplasty back in 1996, it took effect immediately, and according to his cardiologist it’s still working.

However, they didn’t slice anything open except a small hole in his groin. They ran a tube up through his aorta to his heart and cleared things up there. He was awake during the procedure, although he had been given some good drugs to keep him calm and still. After the procedure he had to lie flat on his back for six hours so the incision would close up.

As to the effects – once they did the actual procedure he felt fine. No more angina, no more “heaviness” in his chest. He was just bored by having to lie still for so long.

Perhaps you are thinking of endarterectomy rather than angioplasty. The end results are similar but the method of getting there is different. This site explains it thusly:

“Endarterectomy involves opening the carotid artery, scooping out the fatty plaque, stitching up the artery, and then stitching together the skin of the neck. The main goal of the operation is to prevent a future stroke. Its biggest hitch is that it sometimes causes the problem it is being done to prevent. Even with the most experienced surgeon, the risk of a stroke is 1% to 2%.

Carotid angioplasty begins with a small incision over the femoral artery in the groin. A thin tube called a catheter is gently pushed into the artery and maneuvered into the narrowed carotid artery. Once in place, a balloon at the catheter’s tip is inflated, mashing the plaque into the artery wall and expanding a stent to hold open the artery. Like endarterectomy, it can cause strokes.”

@lucillelucillelucille I worked in a cardiac catheterization lab (where angioplasty of the heart and peripheral vasculature is done) for 4 years. The procedure when done in your heart is usually pretty simple (much more so than cardiac surgery). Your neck (carotid artery) is a different story. Strokes are a very severe complication of the non-surgical procedure whereas since the carotid artery is so close to the surface of the skin, the surgery would not be considered “major”. There is some debate in the medical community as to the safety and efficacy of angioplasty (stenting) vs. surgical endarterectomy.

If this is an investigative procedure which is not a commonly accepted practice, only labs engaging in a clinical trial will perform the procedure. It sounds like something very interesting and potentially beneficial to discuss with your doctor. Good luck!

@Darwin _Thank you for your answer.The procedure is still referred to an angioplasty by the surgeon who pioneered this procedure specific to MS.His name is Paolo Zamboni and the treatment is called the Liberation Treatment.The cause of the narrowing could be any number of things and I won’t find out until later.I hope your husband is doing well :)

@Cupcake -Thank you for your answer too!It isn’t commonly practiced yet.I do volunteer myself for trials and my doctor is doing studies with new MRIs.He is aware of Dr Zamboni and has similar theories.I am aware of the complications and as one who does not easily scare,this one has me scared shitless!I hope to work through any fear about it so I can get on with it,you know?:)

I had a stent (metal coil) installed in my left anterior descending artery (heart) about 14 years ago. Under sedation and local anesthesia, the surgeon cuts open the artery in the groin and snakes a device up into the heart artery and releases this coil that props open the narrowed artery. The worst part of the procedure for me was that the contrast dye that was injected made me vomit. After the procedure, they place a bag of lead shot pellets on your groin to put pressure on the artery and keep it closed while healing.

I made some dietary changes after the procedure was done and haven’t had an angina attack since (keeping my fingers crossed).

@stranger_in_a_strange_land I’m glad the procedure went well for you and that you haven’t had complications since. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you too!!

I have not had and angioplasty…known a few that have and in each case, they all seemed to have to face the fears and realities of a life changing event. For you to ask this question tells me you are heavily invested in this procedure for personal reasons I wish you the best with.

@Cruiser -Thanks

@lucillelucillelucille Wishing you great luck with this. Is this part of the clinical trial? ((hugs))

@stranger_in_a_strange_land -Thanks.I’m hoping I can get it done that way.I am having imaging done to see if there are any blockages.Nothing so far…

@lucillelucillelucille Do you drink diet soda?