Iliac Angioplasty and Stenting in Mentor, OH

Experiencing Leg Pain, Heaviness, or Fatigue When Walking in Mentor?

If every walk feels like an uphill battle — if your legs cramp, ache, or feel so heavy that you have to stop and rest after just a few minutes — the problem may not be in your legs at all. It may be in your iliac arteries, the major blood vessels deep in your pelvis that deliver oxygen-rich blood to your lower body. When these arteries narrow or become blocked by plaque, your legs are starved of the blood flow they need — a condition known as peripheral artery disease (PAD).

Iliac angioplasty and stenting is a minimally invasive cath lab procedure that opens these blocked arteries and holds them open with a small mesh stent — restoring healthy circulation to your legs. At Ohio Vein & Vascular in Mentor, our board-certified vascular specialists perform this advanced procedure using state-of-the-art imaging, and most patients go home the same day.

What Is Iliac Angioplasty and Stenting? How Does It Work?

The iliac arteries are two large blood vessels that branch off from the aorta in your abdomen and carry blood down into each leg. When plaque — a buildup of cholesterol, calcium, and fatty deposits — narrows these arteries, blood flow to your legs decreases significantly. This is one of the most impactful forms of PAD because the iliac arteries are the primary supply line for your entire lower body.

Iliac angioplasty and stenting restores flow through a two-step process performed in our cath lab under real-time X-ray guidance. First, a thin catheter is inserted through a small puncture — typically in the groin — and guided to the narrowed section of the iliac artery. A tiny balloon at the tip of the catheter is inflated inside the blockage, physically widening the artery (angioplasty). Then, a small expandable mesh tube called a stent is placed at the treatment site to hold the artery open permanently and prevent it from narrowing again.

The entire procedure is performed under local anesthesia, typically takes less than an hour, and most patients return home the same day. There are no large incisions, no general anesthesia, and recovery is significantly faster than traditional open bypass surgery.

Why Patients in Mentor Choose Iliac Angioplasty and Stenting

Iliac angioplasty and stenting offers a powerful, minimally invasive alternative to open surgery for patients with blocked pelvic arteries. Here’s why our Mentor patients choose it:

What You May Have Already Tried for Your Leg Circulation Problems

If poor circulation has been limiting your life for a while, you’ve probably tried to manage it. Many of our Mentor-area patients come to us after trying:

• Walking programs and supervised exercise — helpful for mild PAD, but increasingly difficult and painful as iliac blockages progress
• Medications for cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood thinners — essential for overall cardiovascular health, but they can’t remove plaque that’s already blocking an artery
• Wound care for non-healing sores — treating the wound surface without restoring the upstream blood supply it needs to heal
• Cutting back on walking and activity — avoiding the pain by becoming more sedentary, which actually accelerates cardiovascular decline
• Being told bypass surgery is the only option — iliac angioplasty and stenting is a proven, less-invasive alternative that avoids the risks, pain, and long recovery of open surgery

Iliac angioplasty and stenting goes directly to the source of the problem — opening the blocked artery and placing a stent to keep it open. For many patients, it’s the procedure that finally restores the circulation their legs have been missing.

What to Expect During Iliac Angioplasty and Stenting in Mentor

Getting iliac angioplasty and stenting at our Mentor facility is a well-coordinated cath lab experience. Here’s what the process looks like:

Follow-up visits at our Mentor office monitor stent function and confirm improved circulation. Many patients experience noticeable relief from leg pain and improved walking ability within the first few days after iliac angioplasty and stenting.