A cutaway shows the inside of one section of artery from the heart.
Running through it is a long thin catheter with an uninflated balloon.
As it moves through, it comes to a section of the channel
lined with a dark gunky substance called plaque.
Balloon angioplasty is a procedure
used to open narrowed or blocked arteries.
It uses a balloon attached to a catheter
that's inserted into an artery.
At the place where deposits of plaque have closed off
or narrowed the channel for blood flow,
the balloon is inflated.
When the balloon is over top of the substance,
it inflates, pushing against the artery wall.
If the blockage is not major,
it may be possible to correct
the problem by inflating the balloon several times.
This will compact the plaque against the wall,
widening the passage and letting blood flow through.
A small tube with wire mesh braces the wall of the artery.
It's common then,
for a tubular device called a stent to be put into the artery.
It will act like a scaffold inside
the artery and keep the blood vessel open.