In many cases, the interventional radiologist can treat a blocked blood vessel without surgery at the same time the angiogram is performed. Interventional radiologists treat blockages with techniques called angioplasty and thrombolysis . Angiograms are sometimes used by surgeons to plan an operation or choose the best surgical procedure. In many cases, interventional radiologists can open blocked or narrowed blood vessels caused by peripheral arterial disease or other conditions. For example, in some patients, high blood pressure is caused by blockage to the artery to the kidney, a condition known as renal vascular hypertension.
Interventional radiologists can often treat blocked blood vessals without surgery.
In most cases, hospitalization and general anesthesia are not required. Often, patients may return to normal activity shortly after the procedure. The catheter is threaded under X-ray guidance to the site of the blocked artery. The balloon is inflated to open the artery. This treatment is used if the blockage in an artery is caused by a blood clot.