This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

http://www.bardpv.com/pdfs/S11562A.pdf




Ouch. This is something that has happened to a few people during the procedure. It is rare. A defect in manufacture or being expanded beyond its burst rating can cause a balloon to rupture. I've heard it described as sounding like a gunshot, there in your neck. It's a violent rupture that can injure the vein. It might cause a tear and immediate thrombosis, which can be treated, but the concern too is if there is any long-term damage to veins that were involved in a balloon rupture.

The images are from an article on intimal hyperplasia in PTFE hemodialysis venous grafts. PTFE means the teflon tubing sometimes used instead of a real vein when a graft is done.

We've heard about intimal hyperplasia in patients with stents, but I can't remember anyone being told this is what they have when they have balloon-only procedures. It may be that we are just being told restenosis, and not the specific type of restenosis.

26 atmospheres is 380 pounds per square inch. That's a lot of pressure. I wonder what the balloon was rated for. I'd like to see a balloon inflated outside the human body until it ruptures just to see what kind of explosion it produces.