angioplastier

An angioplastier is a clinician who performs angioplasty, a minimally invasive endovascular procedure used to restore blood flow in narrowed or blocked vessels. The term is common in some French-language contexts; in English, the practitioner is typically described as an interventional cardiologist or interventional radiologist, depending on the vascular territory treated.

Procedure and techniques: Angioplasty involves inserting a catheter with a deflated balloon into the affected artery. The balloon is inflated to compress plaque and widen the vessel lumen. In coronary arteries, the procedure is usually called percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and may include stent implantation, with either bare-metal or drug-eluting stents. Peripheral angioplasty treats arteries outside the heart, such as in the legs or kidneys. Imaging guidance—fluoroscopy with angiography—helps guide catheter placement and assess results; intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) or optical coherence tomography (OCT) may be used to evaluate lesion morphology and stent apposition.

Training and scope: Angioplastiers are physicians specialized as interventional cardiologists or interventional radiologists. Training includes medical school, residency in cardiology or radiology, and a fellowship focused on interventional procedures. They work within multidisciplinary teams to plan procedures, manage antiplatelet therapy, and oversee post-procedural care.

Indications and outcomes: Indications include symptomatic coronary artery disease, acute coronary syndromes, peripheral arterial disease, and certain vascular conditions. Advances in stent technology, pharmacologic therapy, and imaging have improved success rates and reduced complications. Risks include vascular injury, bleeding, infection, contrast-related kidney injury, restenosis, stent thrombosis, and, less commonly, stroke or myocardial infarction.

History note: Modern angioplasty emerged in the 1960s–1970s, with balloon dilation developed by Dotter and refined for coronary use by Gruentzig, underpinning current PCI practices.