Interventional Cardiology Procedures

Interventional cardiology is an advanced field that enables the diagnosis and treatment of heart and vascular diseases—often without the need for open-heart surgery. Through the femoral or radial artery, thin catheters are guided to the heart, allowing both diagnostic evaluation and therapeutic intervention in the same session. These methods, which lie at the core of modern cardiology, provide highly safe, fast, and effective results when applied to the right patient.

Coronary Angiography

This is the gold-standard imaging technique that provides the most accurate visualization of the coronary arteries.
By administering contrast dye, video images of the vessels are obtained, allowing the location, severity, and anatomical structure of any narrowing to be evaluated with millimetric precision.
Angiography is solely a diagnostic imaging procedure; if the vessels are normal, no treatment is required, while critical stenosis leads to planning the next therapeutic step.
It is also the most definitive test for individuals suspected of having silent coronary disease or signs indicating a risk of sudden cardiac death.

Cardiac Catheterization

Thin catheters are advanced into the heart chambers and major vessels to measure pressures.
This procedure is particularly essential in the following situations:

• Determining the severity of valvular heart diseases
• Detecting congenital heart defects such as septal openings
• Accurate measurement of elevated pulmonary pressures
• Analyzing hemodynamic problems related to cardiac pump function

It can be performed together with angiography and provides highly valuable physiological data that help guide objective treatment decisions.

Balloon Angioplasty and Stent Placement

When a significant narrowing is detected inside a coronary artery, treatment can often be performed in the same session.

• A thin balloon is inflated at the site of narrowing to restore vessel patency.
• When necessary, a metal mesh (stent) mounted on the balloon is placed to keep the artery open.

Drug-eluting stents significantly reduce the risk of restenosis.
The procedure is typically painless, and most patients can return home the same day.
Performed in the early stages of a heart attack, this intervention can be life-saving.

TAVI (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation)

This modern alternative to open-heart surgery is used in elderly patients or those with high surgical risk who suffer from severe aortic valve stenosis.
A new biological valve is delivered through a catheter inserted via the femoral artery and deployed inside the diseased native valve.

Advantages of TAVI:

• The heart does not need to be stopped
• The chest is not opened
• Recovery time is very short
• It rapidly improves quality of life in elderly patients

Being among the first teams to perform TAVI in Türkiye is a strong indicator of expertise in this field.

MitraClip Procedures

This is a non-surgical treatment option for mitral valve regurgitation.
The valve leaflets are brought closer together using a specialized clip system, reducing the backward flow of blood.
It is an effective and reliable solution for patients with high surgical risk and symptomatic heart failure.
The procedure is performed under echocardiographic guidance, and most patients are discharged the following day.

Intravascular Imaging (IVUS, OCT)

These are advanced methods that significantly enhance the quality of treatment.

• IVUS (Intravascular Ultrasound): Provides a 360° ultrasound view from inside the vessel.
• OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography): Offers micrometer-level resolution, clearly showing plaque composition, stent expansion, and vessel wall details.

These techniques allow for:

• Accurate assessment of stenosis severity
• Verification of optimal stent deployment
• Avoidance of unnecessary stent procedures
• Personalized optimization of treatment

Today, procedures performed with intravascular imaging are regarded as the “safest and most predictable” approach to stenting.

Aneurysm Screening

Aneurysms—localized dilations of artery walls—may progress silently and carry a risk of sudden rupture.
Regular screening is essential in high-risk groups such as:

• Family history of aneurysm
• Smoking
• Long-standing hypertension
• Men aged 65 and older

Early diagnosis enables monitoring of the vessel structure and helps determine the appropriate timing for intervention.