One of the great breakthroughs in cardiology in recent years is the advancement of non-surgical procedures, like angioplasty, performed with physician-guided catheters directly to the site of disease or injury. Interventional Cardiology employs diagnostic and treatment procedures that are performed inside the body without surgery.

Catheter-based technology has expanded into procedures that attack plaque in the arteries on a number of fronts with micro balloon and cutting catheters, and stents able to travel through the network of vessels in and around the heart, neck and extremities to fight cardiovascular disease.

The field of cardiology has expanded significantly in the past 30 years. Today, a new subspecialty has grown from advances in technology that allow diagnostic and treatment procedures to be performed inside the body without surgery. Referred to as "interventional cardiology," these techniques offer patients and physicians more options in both diagnostic and treatment strategies and a higher level of individualized care.

Cardiac catheterization was one of the pioneering technologies, providing access to the heart with tiny, flexible catheters introduced into the heart or the heart’s blood vessels for diagnostic and treatment purposes.