Definition

1. Noun:
   • A surgical procedure to repair a damaged or narrowed blood vessel: Specifically, angioplasty is a minimally invasive procedure that opens blocked or narrowed arteries, most commonly coronary arteries, to restore blood flow. It often involves inflating a small balloon inside the artery to widen it.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The patient underwent an angioplasty to clear the blockage in his heart artery.
  • After the angioplasty, blood flow to her heart improved significantly.
  • Doctors recommended angioplasty as a less invasive alternative to open-heart surgery.

Advanced Usage

• "Balloon angioplasty": The most common type, where a catheter with a small balloon is guided to the narrowed artery and inflated to widen it.

  • Balloon angioplasty successfully opened the constricted vessel.

• "Coronary angioplasty": Specifically refers to angioplasty performed on the arteries supplying the heart muscle.

  • He was scheduled for a coronary angioplasty the following week.

Variants and Related Words

• Angiogram (n): An X-ray image of blood vessels used to diagnose blockages, often performed before an angioplasty.

  • The angiogram revealed the exact location of the arterial narrowing.

• Stent (n): A small mesh tube often placed in an artery during an angioplasty to help keep it open.

  • The angioplasty procedure included the insertion of a stent.

Synonyms

• Balloon dilation: A descriptive synonym focusing on the balloon technique.
• Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA): The full technical term.

Related Phrases

• To perform an angioplasty: To carry out the surgical procedure.

  • The cardiologist will perform the angioplasty tomorrow morning.

• To undergo angioplasty: To be the patient receiving the procedure.

  • She had to undergo angioplasty after her heart attack.

Noun

1. an operation to repair a damaged blood vessel or unblock a coronary artery