Oak Brook, IL -- Doctors may soon have a bizarre prescription for patients undergoing angioplasty operations -- cigarettes.

According to "Radiology" magazine, heavy smokers who continue to puff after angioplasty are less likely to have their arteries "re-narrow" than non-smokers.

The carbon monoxide from the ciggies dilates blood vessels better, and that means smokers benefit more than non-smokers.

Since smoking is a major contributor to peripheral artery disease -- which causes arteries to narrow -- researchers admit the findings are paradoxical.

The carbon dioxide in smokes seems to be the hot factor, so researchers are studying ways to use it therapeutically with angioplasty patients.

Don't expect cigarettes to become the main form of treatment: Smokers still have higher rates of heart attacks and strokes compared to non-smokers.

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