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The procedure that is performed to widen a narrowed blood vessel is angioplasty. This minimally invasive technique involves the insertion of a balloon catheter into the affected blood vessel. Once in place, the balloon is inflated to compress the plaque or buildup against the vessel wall, effectively widening the space and improving blood flow.

Angioplasty is commonly used to treat conditions such as coronary artery disease, where arteries supplying blood to the heart become narrowed due to plaque buildup. The goal of this procedure is to restore adequate blood flow to the organs and tissues, thereby alleviating symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath and reducing the risk of heart-related issues.

While bypass surgery is intended to create an alternate route for blood flow around a blocked artery, and stenting involves placing a mesh tube to keep the blood vessel open after angioplasty, it is the angioplasty itself that specifically addresses the act of widening the narrowed vessel. Aneurysm repair, on the other hand, involves addressing an abnormal bulge in a blood vessel rather than a narrowing. Thus, angioplasty is the most direct answer to the question of which procedure is performed specifically to widen a narrowed blood vessel.