The Best Options for Clogged Arteries

Arteries can become blocked due to cholesterol amassing in them, causing the passageways to become so constricted that the delivery of blood to the heart slows down or becomes blocked. Clogged arteries can lead to heart disease and even heart attacks. If you are diagnosed with clogged arteries, you have options for relief.

Angioplasty

• Angioplasty can help provide treatment for clogged arteries. During this procedure, a tiny bendable tube that has a small balloon at the point is placed into the artery via the groin and led to the artery that is clogged. Once the tube reaches its destination, the small balloon inflates, widening the artery.

  Once the clogged artery is opened, a tiny tube called a stent is put in the artery, allowing it to stay opened. Stents can vary as some tubes are laced with medication to deter the formation of blood clots, while other stents are not medicated. Your physician can help decide which stent is best for you.

Transmyocardial laser revascularization

• For some patients, angioplasty may not be an option. This could be because the patient is a severe diabetic, is too young or the angioplasty did not relieve the problem. A procedure invented in the 1990s, called transmyocardial laser revascularization, is a valid option. With this procedure, a carbon dioxide laser creates small openings in the wall of the heart muscle. These holes prevent blood from flowing into the heart from the inner chamber and serve as new blood vessels.