Alternatives to Cardiac Catheterization With Angioplasty
Several tests are available to diagnose or look for possible heart disease. However, if blockage in your coronary arteries is expected, the alternatives include:
• Medications or
• Coronary Artery bypass surgery.
Medication can decrease the work of your heart and dilate heart blood vessels, but it cannot make blockages formed by plaque deposits, go away.
Bypass surgery is a major surgical procedure requiring general anesthesia. During bypass surgery, a damaged artery in your heart is replaced with a healthy blood vessel from another area of the body or a man-made graft, to provide a pathway for blood flow.
Despite your doctor's recommendations, if you decide against balloon angioplasty or angioplasty with a stent, you should discuss your choice with your doctor.
