Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI)/ Coronary Angioplasty/ PTCA Angioplasty is a procedure used to open blocked coronary arteries so that adequate blood supply is restored. A special catheter (a long, flexible tube) with a small balloon at the tip is placed into an artery in your groin or arm. The catheter is then moved to the clogged artery in your heart. The balloon is inflated and deflated several times to push the plaque against the artery wall and open the artery.
Stents: A stent is a small metal coil, slotted tube, or mesh structure that is placed permanently inside a coronary artery to help keep it open following an angioplasty. The stent helps hold the artery open, improves the flow of blood, and relieves symptoms of coronary artery disease.
Atherectomy: Once a blockage in your coronary artery has been diagnosed from a heart catheterization, an atherectomy is a non-surgical procedure that is used in conjunction with an angioplasty in certain patients. Atherectomy is a procedure that uses a catheter and special cutting or grinding tools to remove plaque from artery walls. The plaque is removed and can later be examined and studied.