Question about non stentable arterires

• By gracie62
• Reply 3457321
• October 14, 2012 at 11:43 am
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I believe they are referring to the formation of collateral arteries. If you will Google or Bing "collateral artery formation" you will find quite a bit of information. The body is truly miraculous in that it can form these "natural bypasses" over time. There are probably quite a few people walking around who never knew they had blockages because their own bodies have rerouted blood flow to compensate. Unfortunately, many of us don't get that lucky in time.

• By Pchyk
• Reply 3457413
• October 14, 2012 at 12:20 pm
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It is a way of getting around some blockage but you have to understand the arteries you have blocked because it is not an option for all forms of blockages such as your LAD. You would not want to wait if you have any significant amount of blockage in it. I have very small arteries and have to take a statin drug to keep them from further narrowing. Each person is different as to just what type of care your doctors give you and yes I have a stent, no blockage but my artery collapsed. Before you look at that as a possibility for yourself PLEASE check with your doctor first, it is not an option for everyone.

• By yarnkitty
• Reply 3459593
• October 15, 2012 at 10:23 am
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Exercise helps with collateralization (making more blood vessels). Actually if blockage occurs gradually enough you can collateralize well enough to make up for pretty significant arterial occlusions. The problem is, in the large arteries (i.e. LAD), the stenosis (narrowing) can get blocked by a clot and cause a very sudden occlusion. If someone is unable to exercise due to symptoms or other disability, another option to encourage collateralization is EECP, a therapy where cuffs are placed from ankle to hip which squeeze in rhythm with the heart beat. This requires a series of 35 hour long treatments over the course of 7 weeks.

• By Annette_Bernadette
• Reply 3459953
• October 15, 2012 at 12:28 pm
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Thanks for the replies. After hearing them makes sense about my own situation and can now explain it to my friend. So my continuing exercise program can benefit my smaller arteries as well as be ineffecual on my LAD which I had a a double bypass 4 years ago. I have gone to an EECP seminar last year and was told by my cardiologist he would recommend it only if I had prolonged symptoms since i also have a blockage at my mycardial bridge. The bypass was only partially successful since one of the new arteries clogged up and rendered useless after a few months. I will redouble my efforts on exercise in any case. Thanks to all.