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Interventional cardiology is a subspecialty of cardiology that encompasses advanced medical procedures performed using catheter-based methods without the need for surgery in the diagnosis and treatment of heart and vascular diseases. This field enables the management of many structural heart disorders, especially coronary artery disease, using minimally invasive techniques.
Interventional cardiology procedures include coronary angiography, balloon angioplasty, and stent implantation; these procedures are performed to visualize and open vascular occlusions. The procedures are generally carried out through the groin or wrist artery, and the hospital stay is often short.
Interventional treatments for structural heart diseases include methods such as TAVI (transcatheter aortic valve implantation), mitral valve repair (Mitraclip), tricuspid valve repair (Triclip), and ASD/VSD closure. In particular, methods such as TAVI, mitraclip, and triclip are preferred as alternatives to open-heart surgery in patients with high surgical risk and are performed under advanced imaging guidance.
Although the risk of complications in interventional cardiology is low, possibilities such as bleeding, vascular injury, and rhythm disorders exist; therefore, patient selection and pre-procedural evaluation are of great importance. Procedures performed by experienced teams in appropriate centers can improve quality of life and survival.
| What is interventional cardiology? | A cardiology subspecialty that uses minimally invasive, catheter-based procedures to diagnose and treat heart and blood vessel diseases. |
| Common conditions treated | Coronary artery disease, heart attacks, valve disease, structural heart defects, and peripheral artery disease. |
| Coronary angiography | Uses contrast dye and X-rays to identify blocked or narrowed coronary arteries. |
| Angioplasty and stenting (PCI) | Opens narrowed arteries with a balloon and usually places a stent to restore blood flow. |
| Structural heart procedures | Includes TAVR for aortic valve disease, MitraClip for mitral regurgitation, and closure of ASD, PFO, or the left atrial appendage in selected patients. |
| Other catheter-based procedures | Right heart catheterization, intravascular imaging (IVUS/OCT), atherectomy for calcified arteries, and peripheral angioplasty. |
| Benefits | Smaller incisions, shorter recovery, less pain, reduced hospital stay, and faster return to normal activities than many surgical procedures. |
| Possible risks | Bleeding, infection, blood vessel injury, allergic reaction to contrast, kidney injury, stroke, heart attack, or arrhythmias, though serious complications are uncommon. |
What Is the Main Purpose of Interventional Cardiology?
The primary goal of this field is to diagnose and treat coronary artery disease, heart valve diseases, and certain structural heart problems using catheter-based techniques.
The catheter is usually advanced through the groin (femoral artery) or wrist (radial artery). These thin tubes progress through the vascular system to reach the heart. The procedures are mostly performed under local anesthesia; the patient is generally conscious.
Interventional procedures can be both diagnostic and therapeutic.
Which Diseases Does Interventional Cardiology Deal With?
Interventional cardiologists treat many conditions affecting your heart and blood vessels, for example:
- Heart valve disease.
- Atherosclerosis.
- Heart attack.
- Carotid artery disease.
- Coronary artery disease.
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
- Coronary artery fistula (an abnormal connection with another blood vessel or part of your heart).
- Peripheral artery disease.
- Chronic venous (vein) disease.
- Aortic valve stenosis.
- Thromboembolic disease (blood clots).
- Aneurysm.
- Atrial septal defect.
- Ventricular septal defect.
Diagnostic Interventional Procedures
Coronary Angiography
Coronary angiography is the primary diagnostic method that enables visualization of the heart vessels. By injecting contrast material into the vessel, the patency of the vessels is evaluated under X-ray.
This procedure is generally planned in the following situations:
- Chest pain (angina pectoris)
- Shortness of breath increasing with exertion
- Positive exercise test
- Suspicion of heart attack (myocardial infarction)
- Findings of high-risk coronary artery disease
Coronary angiography helps determine the degree and location of narrowing within the vessel. However, not every narrowing requires treatment; evaluation is made together with the clinical picture.
What Are Interventional Cardiac Procedures?
- Cardiac catheterization.
- Angiogram (peripheral or coronary).
- Angioplasty.
- Coronary atherectomy (plaque shaving).
- Fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurement.
- Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS).
- Optical coherence tomography (OCT).
- Stent placement.
- Heart valve replacement and repair.
- Left atrial appendage closure.
- Atrial septal defect closure.
- Alcohol septal ablation.
- Patent foramen ovale closure.
- Renal denervation (damaging the renal artery nerves to lower blood pressure).
- Thrombolysis.
- Reopening of leg and arm vessels
Frequently Asked Questions
Prof. Dr. Kadriye Orta Kılıçkesmez is one of the leading figures in the field of Turkish cardiology. She was born on January 24, 1974, in Tekirdağ. After completing her undergraduate education at Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine, she chose cardiology as her specialty and received her specialist training at the Cardiology Institute of the same university. In 2015, she was appointed by the university to establish the Şişli Etfal cardiology clinic and Angio laboratory. Becoming a professor in 2017, Kadriye Kılıçkesmez established the cardiology clinic and Angio laboratory of Prof. Dr. Cemil Taşçı Hospital in 2020 and ensured that the clinic became a training clinic.
