Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty

What Is It?

Angioplasty is a procedure in which a tiny device is inserted into narrowed blood vessels that supply blood to the heart. This device widens the arteries and increases blood flow.

Balloon Angioplasty , also known as percutaneous transluminal coronary Angioplasty (PTCA), uses a small, thin tube (called a catheter) with a tiny balloon at its tip. The tube is inserted into the bloodstream through a large vessel in the arm or leg. By watching the progress of the tube on an X-ray, the cardiologist guides the tube into the heart, where it is inserted into a narrowed coronary artery. The tiny balloon is then inflated to widen the narrowed area.

Last Edited: 15 Aug. 2005
see Angioplasty.

Medical Encyclopedia
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0-9

What health info have you recently searched for online? Disease or condition Exercise or fitness Diet, nutrition or vitamins None of the above

Obese teen had to be cut from home in U.K.
    - Full Story - - »»»

State tobacco prevention funding lacking
    - Full Story - - »»»

C-Section Babies Face High Obesity Risk
    - Full Story - - »»»

Scientists turn skin cells into beating heart muscle
    - Full Story - - »»»

Too many people get angioplasties, study suggests
    - Full Story - - »»»

Comparing Birth Control Pill Types
    - Full Story - - »»»

Viewers’ family background affects how they react to MTV shows ‘16 and Pregnant,’ ‘Teen Mom’
    - Full Story - - »»»