angioplasty

[ an-jee-uh-plas-tee ]

noun

, Surgery.

, plural an·gi·o·plas·ties.

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.

angioplasty

/ 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

angioplasty

/ 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.

angioplasty

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 .

Notes

Also called balloon therapy.

Word History and Origins

Origin of angioplasty¹

angio- + -plasty