Treatments and Services

In balloon angioplasty, a catheter with a small balloon on its tip is inserted into the blockage site. Once there, the balloon is inflated in the artery to flatten or compress the plaque against the artery wall.

A stent is a small mesh tube that's used to treat narrow or weak arteries. 

A thoracic aortic aneurysm occurs when the aorta, the main artery that brings blood to the body, has an outpouching, or aneurysm, because the artery wall has become weakened. Left untreated, the aneurysm can tear or burst, causing death.

A thoracic aortic aneurysm occurs when the aorta, a larger artery shaped like a cane that feeds blood to the body, has a weakened area near the heart. The weakened area balloons our, causing blood that should flow through the artery to pool and become stuck in the ballooned area.  Left untreated, the aneurysm can rupture, or pop, causing death. Traditional surgery involving open the chest is the main treatment, especially if the aneurysm has grown large or is causing symptoms. But a less invasive approach is also available. 

The heart is made up of four chambers, the two upper chambers are called the atria and the two lower chambers are the ventricles. A ventricular aneurysm occurs when one of the ventricles has a weakening and is expanded and bulged like a balloon.

Following a heart attack, a small number of patients will develop a ventricular septal defect, a hole in the wall (septum) that separates the ventricles. Repair involves opening the chest and placing a patch that is sutured in place to cover the hole between the two ventricles.