PERIPHERAL ANGIOPLASTIES

Once your peripheral angiogram has been carried out and a diseased vessel has identified, your specialist will usually proceed to treat the diseased area at the same time. This is referred to as percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) or intervention.

The PTA is carried out by guiding a balloon catheter (thin flexible tube with a small balloon at the end) to the place where the artery is narrowed. Once in position, the balloon is inflated and the narrowing is gradually widened. If the narrowing or blockage does not respond to balloon treatment, you specialist may consider placing a stent in the narrowing. A stent is a small expandable mesh tube made from a special metal alloy. Once positioned at the point of narrowing, the stent is opened up to a predetermined width to hold the narrowed artery open. Reclosure (restenosis) of the artery is less likely to occur if a stent is used.