A balloon catheter is a type of "soft" catheter with an inflatable "balloon" at its tip which is used during a catheterization procedure to enlarge a narrow opening or passage within the body. The deflated balloon catheter is positioned, then inflated to perform the necessary procedure, and deflated again in order to be removed.
Some common uses include:
- angioplasty or balloon septostomy, via cardiac catheterization (heart cath)
- tuboplasty via uterine catheterization
- pyeloplasty using a detachable inflatable balloon stent positioned via a cystoscopic transvesicular approach.