Balloon Angioplasty Overview

Balloon angioplasty can be used to treat a variety of cardiovascular conditions, including coronary artery disease (CAD), peripheral artery disease (PAD), and carotid artery stenosis.

What Is Balloon Angioplasty?

A balloon angioplasty is performed to treat blockages within your blood vessels. A long, thin tube (catheter) is guided to the blocked section of a blood vessel and then a small balloon is inflated to improve blood flow. The physician may also insert a metal tube (stent) to help maintain this widened opening.

Balloon Angioplasty at Brigham and Women’s Hospital

The Interventional Cardiology service at our state-of-the-art Shapiro Cardiovascular Center offers various non-surgical procedures for both diagnosing and treating cardiovascular disease in patients with coronary, valvular, or peripheral vascular disease, as well as other cardiovascular diseases. Interventional cardiologists use thin, flexible tubes (catheters) to maneuver through blood vessels for diagnostic tests or to repair damaged vessels or other heart structures, often avoiding the need for surgery. Our Interventional Cardiology experts use balloon angioplasty to treat a variety of conditions.

  • Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), also known as coronary angioplasty, is used to treat the narrowed arteries associated with coronary artery disease. In most cases, a stent will be used to maintain the widened opening.
  • Peripheral angioplasty is used to open up blood vessels outside the coronary arteries.
  • Carotid stenting (following angioplasty) can be used to maintain adequate circulation in the carotid arteries, the main blood vessels to the brain, thereby lessening the risk of stroke.

Cardiovascular Care at Brigham and Women’s Hospital

The Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center at BWH is one of the most advanced centers of its kind in the New England region. Bringing together the full range of cardiovascular services in one building, the Center provides the technology and infrastructure to enable seamless and coordinated care for all cardiovascular patients.

Patient- and Family-focused Care

Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) has long been committed to not only the care of our patients, but also the many other needs that they and their families have. This philosophy of patient- and family-focused care – involving systems and services that emphasize healing in a comfortable, relaxed environment – is a guiding force behind the care we provide at the Center.

Quality of Patient Care

BWH is committed to providing all of our patients with the safest, highest-quality, most-satisfying care possible and follow established protocols that have been shown to improve patient outcomes. Our Inpatient Satisfaction Survey, sent to patients’ to assess their total care experience, helps us to monitor what we are doing well and where we could improve. We pride ourselves in the Quality of Patient Care we provide and how we are measured compared with other hospitals.

Brigham and Women’s Interventional Cardiology Team

The Interventional Cardiology team is committed to patients and their families. Each patient's diagnosis and treatment plan will be designed and tailored to their needs. Our team of highly skilled doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals work together to deliver the highest quality care to every patient.

Contact Us

If you believe you should have an evaluation and would like to schedule an appointment with one of our cardiovascular experts, call 1-800-294-9999 to speak to one of our knowledgeable coordinators who can help to connect you to the doctor that best meets your needs, or fill out an online appointment request form.

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