Angioplasty / Balloon Angioplasty:
The term used to describe a procedure that opens a blocked or narrowed artery. During an angioplasty, a small wire, under x-ray guidance, is passed through a narrowed artery. A small sausage-shaped balloon is then advance over the guide wire into the narrowed section of artery, again using x-ray guidance. The balloon is then inflated to dilate the narrowed section of the artery. Once the artery is dilated, a small amount of dye is injected (angiogram) to confirm the successful dilatation.
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