Angioplasty Summary If you have coronary artery disease, the arteries in your heart are narrowed or blocked by a sticky material called plaque. Angioplasty is a procedure to restore blood flow through the artery. You have angioplasty in a hospital. The doctor threads a thin tube through a blood vessel in the arm or groin up to the involved site in the artery. The tube has a tiny balloon on the end. When the tube is in place, the doctor inflates the balloon to push the plaque outward against the wall of the artery. This widens the artery and restores blood flow. Doctors may use angioplasty to Reduce chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart Minimize damage to heart muscle from a heart attack Many people go home the day after angioplasty, and are able to return to work within a week of coming home. NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Find an Expert American Heart Association American Heart Association National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Array Angioplasty and stent – heart – discharge Angioplasty and stent placement – heart Balloon angioplasty – short segment Coronary artery balloon angioplasty – slideshow Directional coronary atherectomy (DCA) Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) Start Here Angioplasty and Vascular Stenting Array Coronary Angioplasty National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Coronary Angioplasty and Stents Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Heart Stents and Angioplasty (Beyond the Basics) UpToDate How Is Coronary Angioplasty Done? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Stents National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute What Is Coronary Angioplasty? American Heart Association Related Issues Cardiac Catheterization National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Cardiac Procedures and Surgeries American Heart Association Coronary Artery Disease: Angioplasty or Bypass Surgery? Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Drug-Eluting Stents: Do They Increase Heart Attack Risk? Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Intravascular Ultrasound Texas Heart Institute Optical Coherence Tomography Texas Heart Institute What Are the Risks of Coronary Angioplasty? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute What Are the Risks of Having a Stent? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Reference Desk Cardiovascular Glossary Texas Heart Institute How the Heart Works National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Clinical Trials ClinicalTrials.gov: Angioplasty National Institutes of Health Videos and Tutorials Coronary Angioplasty Stent Placement OR-Live Transradial Approach for Cardiac Catheterization: The New Frontier of Coronary Intervention OR-Live Encyclopedia Intravascular ultrasound Stent Journal Articles Angioplasty
