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

Noun Inflected Forms

• angioplasties
  plural

Etymology

Origin of angioplasty

angio- + -plasty

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

angioplasty angioplasties

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

Bill Trotter's treatment began when he was admitted to the hospital on 8 May with a toe infection and staff performed a procedure called angioplasty which aims to improve blood flow.

From BBC ● Jan. 20, 2026

Over the past year, he had to raise thousands of dollars through an aid organization to pay full-price for an angioplasty to remove plaque from his arteries.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2023

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

He would undergo multiple surgeries, including a quadruple bypass, two angioplasties, installation of a heart pump and — in 2012 — a transplant.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2025

In 2014, about one third of angioplasties were elective, for non-emergency situations.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 31, 2017

Of course, as Baier notes, the treatment choices were limited at the time—Snyder could not have performed the dramatic artery-opening bypasses, angioplasties, and stents of today even if he had wanted to.

From Slate ● Jan. 19, 2017

More than 54,000 angioplasties, which are performed through small tubes and are not surgical procedures, were performed in New York from 2008 through 2010.

From US News ● Oct. 18, 2012

Cheney had bypass surgery in 1988, as well as two later angioplasties to clear narrowed coronary arteries.

From New York Times ● Jun. 26, 2010