Angioplasty is also known as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Coronary angioplasty procedures open blocked or clogged arteries and allow blood to flow to your heart muscle. Angioplasty is less invasive and has a shorter recovery time than bypass surgery. Most of the time stents are placed during angioplasty procedures.
The procedure is done using a thin, soft tube called a catheter. Your cardiologist inserts the catheter into a blood vessel, usually in the groin, but sometimes above the elbow. The doctor then carefully guides the catheter through blood vessels until it reaches the opening of the coronary arteries. At that point a very thin wire is placed down the artery through the area of blockage. A tiny balloon, on the end of a catheter, is then advanced over the wire to the area of the blockage. The balloon is inflated. When it is deflated, blood flow is restored to the area that was previously blocked. If a stent is needed, it is delivered to the area of the blockage on a balloon, using a technique similar to the balloon described above.
