Balloon Angioplasty Coronary Angioplasty*

Then the doctor will make a small cut over the femoral artery in the upper part of the leg. A special needle is then inserted into the artery itself. Then a guide wire is carefully passed through the needle and gently pushed into the artery and upwards towards your chest. A narrow tube, called a catheter is threaded along the wire until it too has reached the coronary artery Next, the doctor uses the catheter to inject a dye into the artery itself. The die shows up on a TV monitor and is used to pinpoint the exact location of the blocked area. Once the restricted area has been identified, a thin wire is inserted into the catheter, and is guided all the way to the blocked area and then slightly beyond. This wire acts as guide for the balloon catheter. It allows your doctor to position the deflated balloon precisely in the middle of the narrowest part of the coronary artery. The balloon is briefly inflated. As it expands, it squeezes the plaque deposits against the wall of the artery. It also stretches the artery wall and enlarges the channel through which blood flows. Your doctor will continue to inflate and deflate the balloon until normal blood flow has been restored. Finally, after a thorough investigation of the region, the catheters and guide wire are withdrawn. The dye that had been injected will break up and leave your body as waste. Slight pressure is applied to the incision in your leg in order to prevent bleeding.

PreOp | April 9, 2009

Tags:. .coronary. .incision. .artery. .deflated. .lega