Angioplasty is a minimally invasive treatment method that involves stretching open a narrowed or blocked artery with a balloon. It is done by inserting a deflated balloon into the narrowed vessel and then inflating it to push the plaque out of the artery, widening it, and restoring the vessel to normal size.
The blockage is typically caused by “atherosclerosis,” a condition in which a waxy substance or cholesterol plaque begins to build and harden inside the artery walls, causing blood flow to slow or even stop over time. Atherosclerosis can develop in any artery throughout the body. It has the potential to harm the heart, brain, limbs, and kidneys. And cause diseases such as :
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD): When Atherosclerosis affects the arteries leading to the heart, then it causes CAD which can manifest as angina or heart attack.
Carotid Artery Disease: The carotid arteries lead to your neck and brain. When atherosclerosis affects the carotid arteries, the cholesterol fragments can break off and get stuck in the blood vessels of the brain causing a paralytic stroke.
Kidney Disease: When atherosclerosis affects the renal arteries that lead to your kidneys, it can cause kidney failure.
PAD (Peripheral Artery Disease): PAD is caused by a blockage in the peripheral arteries that run through your legs, stomach, arms, and legs.
Procedure:-
Your cardiologist will insert a thin tube into your bloodstream, known as a catheter, through your wrist or legs. This procedure is performed under local anesthesia. Following that, using X-ray imaging, the doctor can see and direct a deflated balloon passed over a wire to the narrowed artery in the affected area. The balloon is then repeatedly inflated and deflated until the plaque flattens against the artery walls, allowing the artery to widen and blood flow to resume.
