Q: Can my mother, with 65% to 70% blockage in left main artery, go for Angioplasty or not. We have decided not to go for an open heart surgery since at the age of 65 years my mother is not ready to bear the pain and other post-operative complications. She is a diabetic for the last 10 to 12 years and is on Insulin. Expecting your reply along with budget if the same is possible.

A:Left main disease is amenable to angioplasty and stenting. The results are good with a proper case selection. Angio film has to be reviewed to look for the site and kind of block. The outcome depends on that. Surgery has however been the time tested treatment for this condition with well known good long-term results. The expenditure is almost the same as for bypass surgery but could be significantly more if a drug eluting stent and medication like Reopro etc is used. It can come up to Rs 2 lakhs.