Which procedure involves the use of stents to keep coronary arteries open?

The procedure that involves the use of stents to keep coronary arteries open is coronary stenting. This is a specific intervention used in the treatment of coronary artery disease, where stents are deployed to hold the arteries open after they have been narrowed or blocked by plaque build-up.

Coronary stenting is typically performed in conjunction with angioplasty, a procedure in which a small balloon is inflated inside the narrowed section of the artery to widen it. Once the artery is successfully dilated, a stent—a small, mesh-like tube—is placed to maintain the openness of the artery and promote normal blood flow. The use of stents has become a critical aspect of management in patients experiencing conditions like angina or heart attacks resulting from obstructed coronary arteries.

In contrast, tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy are surgical procedures unrelated to the heart, focusing instead on the removal of tonsils and adenoids respectively, typically for recurrent infections or airway obstruction. Angioplasty is related and involves the initial widening of the artery, but it does not always imply stent placement. Therefore, while angioplasty and coronary stenting may often be performed together, coronary stenting specifically refers to the stent placement that is essential for maintaining artery patency