Is angioplasty and stenting superior to bypass surgery?
There is no perfect answer to that question. Angioplasty and stenting is certainly a safe and effective treatment for many patients with coronary artery disease. Recently, two major articles have been published in the medical literature that have demonstrated a survival advantage to the surgical approach. If you have many blockages in all three of your coronary arteries, surgery may be preferable to angioplasty and give a better long-term survival and a decreased need for repeat intervention.
