After a blocked artery is treated with angioplasty to restore blood flow, the artery may become blocked again. This is called restenosis. One way to prevent restenosis is to place a stent inside the artery at the spot where the blockage was cleared by angioplasty. A stent is a tiny, metal mesh tube that is placed with a catheter and permanently embedded within the artery wall to prop open and prevent it from collapsing.
Associations between Agent Orange and other dioxin-contaminated herbicides and structural birth defects like spina bifida, oral clefts, heart defects and hypospadias may be just the âtip of the icebergâ.
During a woman's pregnancy, taking folic acid and getting enough iodine in the diet can help prevent some types of birth defects. But it's also important to realize that most babies born with birth defects are born to two healthy parents with no obvious health problems or risk factors. What Causes Birth Defects? In most cases, doctors don't know what caused a baby's birth defect. When the cause is known, it might be environmental (such as a baby's exposure to chemicals or viruses while in the womb), a problem with the fetus' genes, or a combination of these things.