An angioplasty is a minimally invasive procedure that improves blood flow in an obstructed or narrowed artery.
The surgeon will insert a thin catheter into your body and guide it to the blocked area with the assistance of X-ray imaging. Once the catheter with a small balloon mounted on it is threaded through the vessel to the blocked area, the balloon is blown up to help break up or crush the plaque inside the vessel.
This process is repeated until the plaque has been flattened against the artery wall, allowing for blood to resume flowing freely. Typically, an angioplasty only takes a couple of minutes to complete and is relatively pain-free.