Angioplasty or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was previously called percutaneous coronary transluminal angioplasty (PTCA). In this procedure, a catheter is placed in the femoral or radial artery to allow access to the left heart. The provider can then use a catheter-delivered balloon, roto-blades, or a laser to open blocked or narrowed coronary arteries. Once in place, the balloon is inflated to push the plaque outward against the wall of the artery. This process is called angioplasty. This widens the artery and restores the flow of blood. Noncritical coronary lesions are less than 50% of the diameter of the vessel lumen. A 70% narrowing will be the minimal amount of blockage requiring a stent.
Angioplasty can improve blood flow to myocar-dial tissue, relieve chest pain/ischemia, and reduce heart tissue damage. Sometimes a small mesh tube called a stent is placed in the artery to keep it open after the procedure. A chemotactic drug coating or drug-eluting stent may reduce the incidence of restenosis.