WHAT ARE THE RISKS?

ANGIOPLASTY and stenting are generally low risk — the chance of a stroke is a fraction of 1 per cent.

With all balloon treatments to the heart arteries, there is a small risk of problems such as splitting the artery wall.

‘Calcium build-up within the walls of blocked arteries can limit the application of existing treatments designed to open them,’ says Inderpaul Birdi, a consultant cardiac surgeon at the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre at Basildon University Hospital.

‘This new approach seems to allow doctors to expand the options for patients with hardened arteries. Further research is underway to understand the risks and benefits better.’