PTA balloons come in various sizes, lengths and shapes, depending on the anatomy they're intended to treat. The acronym "PTA" comes from "percutaneous transluminal angioplasty" (percutaneous means "through the skin").

A PTA balloon catheter has an inflatable "balloon" at its tip which is used during a minimally invasive catheterization procedure. This procedure is intended to enlarge a narrowed vessel opening. The deflated balloon is positioned at the narrowed space, inflated for a short period of time, and deflated again to be removed.