Interventional Cardiology Specialist

What is interventional cardiology?

Interventional cardiology is a subspecialty of cardiology, the area of medicine that focuses on the heart. It involves using specialized techniques to evaluate how well your heart is functioning and treat conditions affecting your cardiovascular system.

The catheter-based techniques used in interventional cardiology enable the Levine Heart & Wellness team to treat your heart problems without needing to perform open surgery. A catheter is a slim tube that's small enough to fit inside your blood vessels.

By passing the catheter into a large artery and following its progress using specialized imaging technology, the Levine Heart & Wellness team can carry out investigations, take samples, and perform complex procedures while avoiding the risks of traditional surgery.

How is interventional cardiology used for coronary artery disease?

The Levine Heart & Wellness team uses interventional cardiology techniques such as intravascular ultrasound and angiography to diagnose coronary artery disease. They can perform a coronary artery bypass using balloon angioplasty, as well as:

• Intracoronary stenting
• Laser ablation
• Rotational atherectomy
• Directional atherectomy
• Extractional atherectomy
• Brachytherapy
• Drug-eluting stent insertion

The team can also evaluate blood flow through your heart following an intervention.

What other conditions can benefit from interventional cardiology?

Interventional cardiology is an invaluable tool in the diagnosis and treatment of heart conditions such as:

Valvular heart disease

Interventional cardiology techniques aid in the diagnosis of conditions like valvular stenosis and regurgitation. Treatments include mitral valvuloplasty (for mitral stenosis) and pulmonary valvuloplasty (for aortic stenosis and pulmonic stenosis).

Cardiomyopathy 

Interventional cardiology can be useful in diagnosing and assessing constrictive pericarditis and other cardiomyopathic conditions, draining pericardial effusions (fluid buildup in the sac surrounding your heart), and evaluating hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (thickened heart muscle).

Congenital heart disease

As well as diagnosing congenital heart abnormalities, the Levine Heart & Wellness team uses interventional cardiology techniques like stenting, valvuloplasty, and defect closure to address these conditions.

Interventional cardiology reduces the risks associated with open surgery, meaning a much faster and less painful recovery for you. In many cases, you don't even need a general anesthetic for the catheter-based techniques used in interventional cardiology.

Find out more by calling Levine Heart & Wellness today or book an appointment online.