Programs & Services
Heart & Vascular Program
Angioplasty
Angioplasty is an effective and common procedure for restoring blood flow to the heart by opening up coronary arteries affected by disease.
A catheter with a small balloon on the tip is inserted through an
artery in either the groin or the arm. Once in the artery, the catheter
is threaded into the affected artery of the heart. The balloon is
inflated at the site of blockage. This squeezes the plaque against
the walls of the artery, thereby increasing the blood flow to the
heart muscle.
Not every blockage can be treated with angioplasty. Sometimes,
the blockages may be too long or inaccessible by the catheter to
be safely and effectively treated. When the amount of blockage
is too great or involves too many of the arteries to be successfully
treated with angioplasty, your cardiologist may recommend other
courses of treatment, including bypass surgery.
