In a balloon angioplasty, a specially trained interventional cardiologist first inserts a catheter (a thin tube) into an artery through a small incision made in your arm or groin. Aided by X-ray images on a nearby screen, your doctor guides the catheter through the artery until it reaches the blockage. Next, the physician inserts a thinner catheter tipped with a miniature deflated balloon into the larger catheter.

Angioplasty creates space in the blocked artery when the physician inflates the balloon. This compresses the plaque blocking the arterial wall. When the physician deflates and removes the balloon, the plaque still remains compressed, creating space in the artery and improving blood flow.