What Is Ballooning or Dilatation of an Artery?

Vascular arterial disease contributes heavily to the leading cause of death in the world, cardiovascular disease, a condition that claims more than 17 million lives annually. A tiny balloon and dilation is the medical strategy for saving millions more.

Identification

• Ballooning or dilation of an artery refers to the medical procedure of angioplasty, an operation designed to open clogged arteries that have become blocked with a buildup of fatty deposits called plaque.

Significance

• This blockage is called atherosclerosis and results in coronary arterial disease when it occurs around the heart, carotid arterial disease when it affects the neck or brain, and peripheral arterial disease when extremities such as abdomen, arms, legs and feet are blocked.

Function

• "Angioplasty is a procedure to open narrowed or blocked blood vessels that supply blood to the heart," according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Physicians insert a catheter that opens, or dilates, the artery with a tiny balloon allowing blood to flow more easily.

Time Frame

• The procedure normally requires only local anesthesia and mild sedatives. "Patients typically spend the night in the hospital and are able to return to normal activity in a day or two," says New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Considerations

• Ballooning or dilation of an artery only opens and unclogs the vessel. To prevent it from becoming blocked again, physicians may insert small devices called stents that serve to prop the artery open on a more permanent basis.