This procedure costs less and is less invasive than open-heart surgery. Often, the patient can go home the same day.

The surgeon inserts a catheter into a tiny incision in the leg and threads it into the coronary artery. A balloon on the tip is then inflated to flatten the plaque against the artery wall, widening the artery and easing the flow of blood.

drawback: About 25% of the time, angioplasty has to be repeated to eliminate plaques that recur—sometimes within six months of the original operation.

To prevent recurrence, some cardiologists now use stents— tiny metallic tubes inserted into the artery to keep it open.

This experimental procedure is a less invasive variant of conventional bypass surgery. Instead of cracking the chest, the surgeon makes a small incision between the ribs. Using an endoscope, he/she removes the internal thoracic artery from the chest and grafts it onto the coronary artery.

For accessible blockages, keyhole surgery should prove just as effective as CABG. But it’s still too early to know its exact success rate.

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