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Angioplasty for Coronary Artery Disease
Angioplasty relieves chest pain and improves blood flow to the heart. Stents lower the risk of the artery narrowing again (restenosis). If restenosis occurs, another angioplasty or bypass surgery may be needed.
Long-term outcomes of angioplasty on single-vessel disease are similar to those of coronary artery bypass surgery.
With angioplasty, you'll feel relief from chest pain sooner than with medicines and lifestyle changes. But over time, both treatments work about the same to ease chest pain and improve quality of life.1
Angioplasty can ease chest pain, but it has not been proved to help you live any longer than medical therapy does. Also, angioplasty does not lower the risk of having a heart attack any more than medical therapy does.2
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: May 10, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine John A. McPherson, MD, FACC, FSCAI - Cardiology | |
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