British researchers in Cardiff have resorted to implantation generally used in cardiology in order to treat erectile dysfunction. It means they applied stent which vasodilates arteries in penis. This procedure allows enhancing blood supply in patients. According to medical experts, one third of patients can cope with such problems by means of this solution.
According to statistics, more than half of men at the age of 40-70 years have come across erectile disorders. As a rule, first of all, these people start taking Viagra and analogous remedies. In particular cases, patients try direct injections in penis and vacuum pumps. Nevertheless, this approach has a number of side-effects and doesn’t guarantee complete restoration of erectile function for a long period of time.
In the meantime, clogged-arteries issue is one of the most frequent causes of erectile dysfunction. I.e., the blood essential for normal erection cannot flow to pelvic area with the increase of years. Viagra improves blood supply only for a short while and it useless in case of arteries blockage which is equal to more than 90%. Analogous process occurs in heart when a layer of cholesterol plaques occurs.
As for erectile dysfunction treatment, stents are used sized 1 and 3 millimeters. In order to install them, around three hours are required. Right after this procedure, a patient may go home without a feeling of stent’s presence.
What Are Stents?
Vessel constriction (stenosis) due to atherosclerosis poses a big threat for a human. Depending on which vessel is affected, the lumen reduction may lead to ischemic heart disease, disorder of cerebral circulation, atherosclerosis of lower extremities, and a number of other serious disorders. In order to restore the coronary arteries permeability, there are several methods, such as: conservative therapy, angioplasty, stenting of cardiac vessels and other affected arteries, coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
Stent placement is minimally invasive endovascular interventional approach the aim of which is restoration of lumen in arteries affected by atherosclerosis. A special catheter is introduced in affected vessel area percutaneously. Cylinder swells up in the area of blood flow disorder and enlarges vessel walls. In order to preserve this lumen, a special construction is installed in artery which plays an important role of carcass. This construction is called stent.
The main purpose of stents is support of the walls of clogged vessel. They become overburdened; therefore, these constructions are made of high-technology materials of top quality. There are several hundreds of stents in modern medicine. They differ in accordance with construction, cells types, metal types, covering and delivery method to arteries.
Advantages of stenting
- Stents do not require long-term hospitalization;
- Organism gets quickly restored after surgery;
- Topical anesthesia may be used, meaning it is affordable for patients who are contraindicative to undergo traditional surgery;
- Operation is not traumatizing and doesn’t require rupture of different body parts, such as sternum during bypass surgery, for instance;
- Probability of complications is minimal;
- Less expensive therapy in comparison with traditional operations.
Contraindications to Stenting
- Diameter of artery is less than 2,5-3mm;
- Bad blood clotting ability;
- Severe renal or respiratory impairment;
- Diffused stricture formation – affection of too large area;
- Allergic iodine reaction (iodine is a component of radiopaque agent).
How Is Stenting Performed?
In order to perform surgery, a patient is thoroughly examined and tested. First of all, he should undergo coronary angiography, a method of X-ray examination by means of which arteries condition and location may be detected. Before operation a patient is introduced a drug decreasing blood clotting ability. Anesthetization is performed and it is mainly local anesthesia. Skin is processed by antiseptic drug before catheter introduction. First, angioplasty is made: skin puncture is conducted in the area of affected artery and a cylinder is accurately introduced by means of catheter. Once it reaches the spot of narrowing, cylinder swells and enlarges lumen. A special filter may be installed behind the narrowing spot at this stage in order to prevent from further clotting and apoplectic attack development. After operation, artery lumen opens, but in order to preserve normal blood supply, stent is placed. It should support vessel walls in order to prevent from possible narrowing. In order to place a stent, a doctor introduces another catheter which is equipped with swelling cylinder. A stent is introduced in the compressed state, and when it swells at the narrowing spot, metallic construction unfolds and gets fixed on vessels walls.
In case disease area is extended, there may be placed several stents at a time. Upon termination of surgery, all instruments are removed. All actions of surgeon are controlled by means of X ray monitor. Operation lasts 1-3 hours and doesn’t cause pain. It will be unpleasant only at the moment when the cylinder swells resulting in temporary impaired blood stream.
Possible Complications after the Procedure
In around 90% of cases, stent installation causes seamless restoration of normal blood supply through arteries.
In some cases, there are such complications as:
- Integrity violation of artery walls;
- Bleeding;
- Renal functioning issues;
- Formation of hematomas at puncture spot;
- Stricture reformation or thrombosing in the area of stenting.
One of possible complications is clogging of artery. It is a rare case, but when it happens, a patient is directed to undergo coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Only in 5 cases out of 1000, urgent operation is required, but a patient should be prepared for this probability. Complications occur quite rarely; therefore, stenting of vessels is one of the safest surgical procedures.
Can Viagra Decrease Thombs Quantity after Stenting?
The results of preliminary clinical trials demonstrate that these blue pills decrease the risk of death-threatening due to blood clots by 30 per cent. According to research study, Viagra pills prevent from thrombosis development in adult patients who have undergone cardiac stenting. Notwithstanding the fact that stents are designed for preventions from similar clots, these tiny metallic rings give quite an opposite effect.
But in case, these carcasses are sopped in sildenafil (medication for erectile dysfunction), risk of the deadly complication decreases. Although, it is unknown if interaction of Viagra with stents causes unplanned erection, i.e. the effect these pills were designed for.
Preliminary clinical trials were conducted on rodents for the moment. Scientists have discovered that the medication slows down the process of thrombocytes coagulation by 30 per cent. Blood clots or thrombs are widely-spread side-effects of cardiac stenting. Stents are paced in patients whose arteries get clotted with specific plaques. Thus, the risk for development of deadly heart attack decreases. Also, cardiac stenting is conducted after heart attack in order to prevent from its relapse.
Tiny metallic rings are installed inside arteries and make them enlarge which should decrease clotting occurrence risk. Older stents models were earlier made exclusively of one metal and sometimes took opposite impact narrowing arteries and causing restenosis. Modern stents are generally processed with medications in order to prevent from clotting, but even these new versions appear to have risk of blood clots development. For the sake of prophylaxis, South Korean researchers offer to use sildenafil or Viagra, since it more popular with patients. Medical trials demonstrate that sildenafil decreases aggregation of thrombocytes by 30 per cent. In other words, Viagra is able to prevent from blood clotting. Due to activation of protein kinase G, the medication applied on stents inhibits growth of connective tissue. And Viagra takes the same action as medicinal soaking of stents. Medical trials show that injury caused by implantation of stent damages protein kinase G activity. This condition launches proliferative processes leading to restenosis and second surgery. Viagra in turn blocks restenosis. As of today, this research is limited to animal trials. In case it is stated experimentally that sildenafil decreases blood clotting development and arteries restenosis, medication prescriptions’ number will increase considerably.
