Angioplasty or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is a non-surgical, invasive procedure that widens narrowed arteries. This procedure entails the insertion of a catheter into the leg or arm. A catheter is a thin, plastic tube that is inserted into an artery or a vein. Catheters can serve as conduits for small balloons, drilling devices or stents. The catheter is guided via the aorta into the coronary arteries. The entire procedure is monitored by an X-ray camera called a fluoroscope.

Once the catheter has been inserted, the physician guides a second, smaller tube into the existing catheter. This tube is a deflated balloon. When the balloon is in the narrowed portion of the artery, the physician will then inflate it. The inflated balloon compresses the plaque build-up in the artery and opens the blood vessel for easier blood flow. Balloon angioplasty opens arteries that are narrowed and not completely blocked. Instead of bypassing narrowed arteries with a vein graft, angioplasty helps eliminate the blockage within the coronary arteries.