BALLON ANGIOPLASTY
Q. What is “Balloon Angioplasty” ? Does it replace “By Pass” surgery ?
A. When there is a localized narrowing in the early segment of one or more of the coronary arterial pipelines, a new method of dealing with this has developed. It consists of dilating the narrow segment and distending it from its lumen side with the help of a pressure balloon pump. The force used is of a fair amount. If successful, the narrowed segment becomes wider so that more oxygenated blood is able to flow through the pipeline and is thus able to supply the heart muscle with adequate blood containing oxygen and other nutrients. The heart muscle becomes more healthy and the disabling symptom of angina is relieved. Thus, the method of “balloon-pump”, in principle, appears simple and effective. It has, however, several limitations. There can be complications such as the detachment of a clot or immediate re blocking of the distended segment by a fresh blood clot because the area under distension becomes raw and rough. In fact, in some patients, immediate “by-pass” surgery is required. The surgical team and surgical theater is therefore kept ready as a rule, so that an emergency by-pass surgery can be performed immediately, should it become necessary. Even in those patients, who are lucky enough to go through the initial procedure successfully, there is an annoying rate of relapse.
April 24 2008 08:29 am | Hearty Questions