​Percutaneous Transluminal Arterial Angioplasty and Stenting

Percutaneous transluminal arterial angioplasty (PTA) is a type of endovascular surgical procedure that is used to reopen blockages in intracranial arteries located between the brain and its middle membrane.

These blockages are particularly dangerous because they rupture easily.

How Percutaneous Transluminal Arterial Angioplasty and Stenting Work

A UPMC neurosurgeon:

• Threads a microcatheter — a long tube tipped with miniature instruments — into an artery to reopen it, usually with a tiny balloon.
• May also use the catheter to place a tiny meshwork stent in the reopened artery to help keep it open.