Coronary Angioplasty is a medical procedure used to widen blood vessels that are narrowed or blocked. These blood vessels are the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart. The term 'angio' means blood vessel and 'plasty' means repair.
In individuals having an occlusive vascular diseases like atherosclerosis, blood flow is impaired to the heart. This is caused by narrowing of blood vessels due to fatty deposits or calcium accumulation on the the walls of arteries.
Angioplasty can also be used to clear significant blockage that causes other heart disease symptoms, such as chest pain (unstable angina) or breathing issues. Reopening an artery can avoid chances of heart attack which is likely to take place.
Coronary Angioplasty procedure involves using a balloon to stretch open a narrowed or obstructed coronary artery. Once the vessel has been widened, blood flows adequately again. Some modern approaches include insertion of a wire-mesh tube, called as a stent, into the artery. This stent is left inside the artery permanently to allow blood to flow freely.
Coronary Angioplasty is sometimes also known as Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA). The combination of coronary angioplasty with stenting is referred to as Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI).
Narrowing and blocking of blood vessels is usually seen in older people. If a particular section is opened using angioplasty, there is no surety that this condition cannot reoccur. Reoocurance of such condition can take place at different locations of the coronary arteries. Hence, in some cases, coronary angioplasty can be needed more than once.
After Angioplasty Surgery, you can resume work within a few days. But, your doctor will ask you to avoid certain activities that include lifting heavy weight or stretching for at-least a month. In case of PTCA operation, you are provided with blood thinning medications for initial few months to prevent blood clotting on the stent. The recovery phase can take a long time. You are asked to visit your doctor frequently in order to keep yourself updated about the progress of your treatment.