Surgeries and Procedures for Atherosclerosis

Surgeries and procedures for atherosclerosis include Angioplasty, Stent placement, Coronary Artery Bypass surgery, Carotid artery surgery and Atherectomy. Such procedures may involve the use of medical devices such as stent and drug-eluting stent or a cardiac angioplasty or atherectomy device.

Angioplasty is a procedure to open blocked or narrowed coronary (heart) arteries and can improve the blood flow to the heart, relieve chest pain, and possibly prevent a heart attack. Sometimes a small mesh tube called a stent is placed in the artery to keep it open after the procedure.

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a type of surgery – where arteries or veins from other areas in the body are used to bypass the narrowed coronary arteries. CABG can improve blood flow to your heart, relieve chest pain, and possibly prevent a heart attack.

Bypass grafting also can be used for leg arteries – with this surgery, a healthy blood vessel is used to bypass a narrowed or blocked blood vessel in one of the legs, the healthy blood vessel redirects blood around the artery, improving blood flow to the leg.

Carotid artery surgery removes plaque build-up from the carotid arteries in the neck, opens the arteries and improves blood flow to the brain. Carotid artery surgery can help prevent a stroke.

Depending on their condition a doctor may refer a patient with Atherosclerosis to a cardiologist (a doctor who specializes in treating people with heart problems) if they have coronary artery disease (CAD) – or a vascular specialist (a doctor who specializes in treating people with blood vessel problems) if they have peripheral arterial disease (PAD) – or a neurologist (a doctor who specializes in treating people with disorders of the nervous system) if they have had a stroke due to carotid artery disease.

Further Reading