Coronary angioplasty

A coronary angioplasty is a medical procedure used in the treatment of heart disease.

A thin tube is threaded into the coronary arteries via a blood vessel in the groin, in a similar procedure to cardiac catheterisation. A small balloon attached to the end of the tube is inflated, which widens the blocked portion of the artery and allows increased blood flow to the affected part of the heart muscle. Stents (tubular grids) may be inserted to hold open the affected part of the artery.