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Cardiac Catheterization
Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA)

Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty , also known as angioplasty or PTCA, is a method of widening an area of an artery narrowed by fatty deposits without surgery. The procedure is similar to a cardiac catheterization. A catheter with a small, inflatable balloon on the end is guided through the artery until the balloon is positioned in the narrowed section of the artery.

a balloon clearing a blocked artery

The balloon is inflated for up to thirty seconds, pressing the fatty deposits against the wall of the artery. The balloon may be inflated and deflated several times during the angioplasty. It is common to have some chest discomfort when the balloon is inflated because the blood flow through the artery is temporarily stopped; however, the discomfort should subside when the balloon is deflated.

As a result of the angioplasty, the diameter of the blood vessel is increased, improving blood flow in the artery.

After Your Catheterization...

Text provided by Andrew Michaels, M.D., Tony Chou, M.D., and Laura Kee, R.N., Ph.D.,
Division of Cardiology, University of California San Francisco
Medical Illustration/Animation by http://www.meristemstudios.com/
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