Balloon catheters used in angioplasty are either of Over-the-Wire (OTW) or Rapid Exchange (Rx) design. Rx catheters nowadays are about 90% of the Coronary Intervention market. While OTW Catheters may still be useful in highly tortuous vascular pathways, they sacrifice deflation time and pushability. When a balloon catheter is used to compress plaque within a clogged coronary artery, it is referred to as a
plain old balloon angioplasty or POBA. Balloon catheters are also utilized in the deployment of
stents during
angioplasty. Balloon catheters are supplied to the
cath lab with a stent pre-mounted on the balloon. When the
cardiologist inflates the balloon it expands the stent. When the cardiologist subsequently deflates the balloon, the stent stays behind in the artery and the balloon catheter can be removed. Stents that are used in conjunction with a balloon catheter are known as balloon expandable stents, as opposed to self-expandable stents, typically made of Nitinol alloy or polyester. ==Ureteric (pyeloplasty) balloon catheter==