PTA of visceral arteries is endovascular treatment of narrowing and obstruction as well as aneurysmal dilatations in the arteries that feed the abdominal organs (superior and inferior mesenteric artery and celiac trunk).
The most common symptoms of narrowing in these arteries are severe abdominal pain, usually after a meal, as well as frequent vomiting and rapid weight loss. With aneurysmal dilatations, there is a risk of rupture of the blood vessel at the site of dilatation and bleeding into the abdomen.
The procedure is performed under local anesthesia by accessing the narrowing through the arteries of the legs or arms (sometimes both approaches are combined), while the control is performed using X – rays in the angio room.
Agioplasty represents the expansion of the wall of an obstructed or narrowed blood vessel using a special medical balloon. The balloon is placed inside the lumen of the blood vessel. It is then inflated thus pushing the plaque against the wall of the artery while expanding its lumen.
In cases when angioplasty alone is not enough to solve the narrowing in the arteries of the leg, one or more stents can be implanted. A stent is a metal tube placed inside a blood vessel, along an arterial wall which prevents it from narrowing again.
At the end of the procedure, manual compression or a special type of artery closure device are used to close the access point.
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Author: Vladimir Kovačević, Radiologist
