Coronary balloon angioplasty: Has its importance been overinflated?

The development of new therapeutic modalities is changing the practice of cardiology. In the cardiac catheterization laboratory, there is a new therapeutic emphasis exemplified by the coronary balloon angioplasty procedure. Many uncertainties still remain; these include optimal patient selection, preferred technique, mechanism of dilatation, and long-term follow-up. These and other issues will be discussed in this review, and the anticipated impact of new technology will be assessed. It is argued that clinical trials are now needed to define the role of this technique more fully.