Angioplasty & Transradial Approach
Rafael Moguel, MD FSCAI
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Angioplasty & transradial coronary angioplasty (brachial approach)
Angioplasty:
The most safe and efficient treatment for artery disease associated to myocardial infarction and stroke. This treatment is performed inside of the blood vessels to cure and prevent the progression of many diseases in their site of origin and avoid the risks of complications.
Angioplasty is performed in a cath lab by the insertion of catheters, using a little puncture on the skin and directing them through the inside of the blood vessels. These catheters are directed towards the site within the problem providing a direct and safe solution. A small amount of contrast media is injected through the catheters giving a good image of the flux inside the vessels in order to assess the functionality of arteries and veins, this catheters also provide 
an excellent way to deliver material as balloons and stents in order to treat the lesions found, this techniques are called interventionism, field of cardiologists and radiologists, this techniques have been proved successfully to lower the risk and costs in comparison to surgery in the treatment of many diseases.
Although angioplasty was originally targeted to the heart, in our days is applied to many health problems associated to vascular abnormalities or lesions that show greater benefits with this more accurate and precise approach, thus, there exists well documented procedures for the treatment of many diseases of the heart, kidneys, brain, abdominal and chest arteries and those of the legs. Every time an angioplasty is performed the event is recorded on digital format for clinical correlation and follow up.
Transradial coronary angioplasty and stenting:
The traditional and most frequently used approach is through the femoral artery in the groin but today a group of specialists around the World have been trained in the radial approach in the wrist which results in a shortened hospital stay and Immediate ambulation plus avoiding the risk of bleeding and other complications.
The radial approach implies a very high qualification in those 
physicians who performs it because it demands very specific skills and this is the reason because most interventionists can't offer this possibility, hand and forearm anatomy makes the radial approach safest than the traditional approach. The radial artery is very superficial and is more accessible than the femoral one. This is a very important matter before, during and after the procedure because of its better possibility to apply direct pressure to the skin over the puncture site to produce homeostasis which would be more difficult in femoral approach so the patient is out of vascular complications like bleeding and hematoma formation (bruising) and is able to walk out of the hospital the same day. We have great and successful experience in radial interventionism.
