POBA
Medical abbreviation · Cardiology
| Stands for | Plain old balloon angioplasty |
|---|---|
| Categories | Medical |
POBA stands for Plain old balloon angioplasty, a cardiology abbreviation.
Informal cath lab term for balloon angioplasty without a stent, used when stenting is impossible or undesirable, such as in small side branches, some cases of in-stent restenosis, or patients who cannot take dual antiplatelet therapy.
Example: Small diagonal branch treated with POBA only, good result with TIMI 3 flow.
Usage notes
The tongue-in-cheek name reflects how routine stenting became, although the procedure is the original 1977 technique. Drug-coated balloons, which deliver paclitaxel or sirolimus to the vessel wall, are increasingly used where a permanent metal scaffold is undesirable. Pronounced "POE-buh."
Related abbreviations
More cardiology abbreviations
- PCI – Percutaneous coronary intervention
- PCWP – Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure
- PDA – Patent ductus arteriosus
- PEA – Pulseless electrical activity
- PFO – Patent foramen ovale
- PMI – Point of maximal impulse
- POTS – Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome
- PPM – Permanent pacemaker
- PS – Pulmonic stenosis
- PSVT – Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia
- PTA – Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty
- PTCA – Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty
See all 229 cardiology abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.