In balloon angioplasty, a catheter with a small balloon on its tip is inserted into the blockage site. Once there, the balloon is inflated in the artery to flatten or compress the plaque against the artery wall.
This is used to treat aneurysms using a minimally invasive approach. In the procedure, the doctor threads a stent (small mesh tube) through a catheter inside of the aneurysm so that blood flows in the proper direction.
