Angioplasty

Synonyms

Coronary angioplasty; Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA)

Definition

Angioplasty is a minimally invasive clinical procedure to dilate blood vessels narrowed or blocked by atherosclerosis.

Current Knowledge

Angioplasty is most commonly performed on the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle, but it is also performed on carotid arteries, peripheral blood vessels in the limbs, and elsewhere. Angioplasty may be used to treat coronary artery disease, which often presents with persistent angina (chest pain) or a myocardial infarction (heart attack), as well as cerebrovascular disease causing stroke or transient ischemic attacks, renal artery stenosis causing kidney dysfunction, and peripheral artery disease, usually in the blood vessel of the leg.

In this procedure, a small incision is made over the skin of a peripheral artery (usually the femoral artery in the thigh), and the artery is punctured to gain access into the blood vessel. A thin...