Alternatives to Angioplasty

Alternatives to angioplasty include heart medications and coronary artery bypass surgery (also known as open heart surgery). Medication can dilate the blood vessels in the heart, but it can't make blockages go away. Bypass surgery requires general anesthesia, and it involves replacing a damaged artery in your heart with a healthy blood vessel or a man-made graft. The goal of these alternatives is to increase blood flow to the heart.

An Overview of Alternatives to Angioplasty 

Several tests are available to diagnose or look for possible
 heart disease. However, if blockage in your coronary arteries is expected, the alternatives to angioplasty include:
 
Heart medication can help your heart work more efficiently and dilate your heart's blood vessels, but it cannot make blockages go away.
 
Bypass surgery is a major surgical procedure that requires general anesthesia. During bypass surgery, a damaged artery in your heart is replaced with either a healthy blood vessel from another area of the body or a man-made graft to provide a pathway for blood flow.
 
If you decide against balloon angioplasty or angioplasty with a stent, you should discuss your choice with your doctor.
 

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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
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