Heart disease. Coloured angiogram showing a severe stenosis (narrowing, from red to yellow, top centre) of the left coronary artery. The function of t

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Heart disease. Coloured angiogram showing a severe stenosis (narrowing, from red to yellow, top centre) of the left coronary artery. The function of the coronary arteries is to supply blood to the heart muscle. Stenoses impair the supply and may lead to angina pectoris (chest pain) or more seriously to a myocardial infarction (heart attack). The obstruction builds up from plaques of atheroma (fatty deposits) which can cause atherosclerosis. Further narrowing may be caused by thrombi (blood clots) formed on the roughened surface of the plaques. A normal blood flow may be restored by using balloon angioplasty in which the artery is stretched by a mall balloon.

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Size: 3739px × 3768px
Photo credit: © SIMON FRASER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: arteriosclerotic, artery, asvd, atheroma, atherosclerosis, cardiac, condition, coronary, disease, disorder, healthcare, heart, medical, medicine, stenosis, vascular