Coronary Angioplasty, also referred to as a Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) or balloon angioplasty, is a procedure that opens narrowed or blocked blood vessels of the heart by compressing the fatty build-up against the artery wall.
Transradial Catheterization Coronary Angioplasty - Increasingly, specialists are using the transradial method to view the coronary arteries. This approach involves threading a small catheter through the radial artery of the wrist. Cardiologists at McLaren are routinely using the transradial catheterization method because it has several benefits for the patient. Radial artery access allows the patient to regain mobility faster after the procedure and has a lower risk of bleeding than the more traditional method of using an artery in the groin area. Not all patients are candidates for this procedure. The cardiologist will determine if the patient is able to undergo this type of catheterization.