angioplasty

American  

[an-jee-uh-plas-tee] / ˈæn dʒi əˌplæs ti /

noun

Surgery.

angioplasties plural

1. the repair of a blood vessel, as by inserting a balloon-tipped catheter to unclog it or by replacing part of the vessel with either a piece of the patient's own tissue or a prosthetic device.

   coronary angioplasty to widen an artery blocked by plaque.

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angioplasty British  

/ ˈændʒɪəˌplæstɪ /

noun

1. a surgical technique for restoring normal blood flow through an artery narrowed or blocked by atherosclerosis, either by inserting a balloon into the narrowed section and inflating it or by using a laser beam

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angioplasty Scientific  

/ ăn′jē-ə-plăs′tē /

1. The surgical repair of a blood vessel, such as an obstructed coronary artery, usually by inflating a small balloon at the end of a catheter.

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angioplasty Cultural  

1. A surgical technique in which a catheter containing a small balloon is inserted into arteries around the heart. The balloon is inflated to compress deposits of fatty substances blocking the artery, thereby restoring the flow of blood.

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Discover More

Also called balloon therapy.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• angioplasties
  plural

Etymology

Origin of angioplasty

angio- + -plasty

Example Sentences

There’s no way my dad and my mom paid enough into Medicare to cover my dad’s six months in long-term critical care, multiple angioplasty procedures and stroke.

From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026

That challenge pushed the researchers toward a different idea: a biomaterial that could be infused into a blood vessel in the heart during procedures such as angioplasty or stenting, or delivered through an IV.

From Science Daily • May 5, 2026

Endocrinologists, diabetologists, cardiologists, and nephrologists are increasingly prescribing them to overweight patients to improve heart and kidney outcomes - for instance, those preparing for angioplasty or stenting.

From BBC • Nov. 3, 2025

Jerónimo de Sousa, 74, requires a coronary angioplasty and stent insertion “which cannot be postponed until after the election,” the party said in a statement.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 11, 2022

Again, the emergency medical technician offered a choice of two nearby hospitals—neither of which had state permission to do angioplasty, the procedure Jean Miele received.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times