Angioplasty is a procedure during which a balloon-tipped catheter is used to open a narrowed or blocked blood vessel. Imaging guidance is used to position the catheter across the area of narrowing or blockage within the blood vessel and the balloon is inflated to open the narrowing and improve blood flow. It may be done with vascular stenting, which is the placement of a small wire mesh tube within the blood vessel to help keep it open. The procedure is much less invasive than other surgical interventions and usually does not require general anesthesia.
