ISLAMABAD: Heart specialists perform an estimated 1.2 million angioplasty procedures each year, according to the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.
But are they all necessary?

That depends on whom you ask, and what studies you cite. Conventional cardiology wisdom has long held that heart attacks occur because arteries blocked by the buildup of plaque starve the organ of blood, sending it into a condition called infarction. Under that model, angioplasty, stenting (placing of a wire mesh structure in the blood vessel) and bypass surgery all make a certain amount of sense.

Angioplasty lets doctors thread a snake-like device with a balloon on the end into diseased and narrowed arteries. Inflating the balloon opens the blockage. Usually, cardiologists will leave behind one or more tiny metal scaffolds, called stents, as insurance.

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