A plaque tack device for treating atherosclerotic occlusive disease is formedas a thin, annular band (30, 80, 90,100, 110) of durable, flexible material having a plurality of barbs oranchoring points (33, 34) on its outer periphery forpreventing it from being dislodged. The plaque tack may be used with a balloonangioplasty procedure or as a de novo treatment forblood vessel blockage to reopen the vessel lumen for desired blood flow. Ithas a width that is small relative to its diameter, tominimize the amount of foreign structure placed in the blood vessel. One ormore tacks may be applied in positions along a plaqueaccumulation site as needed to stabilize the site and/or hold pieces of plaqueout of the way of blood flow. The barbs of the tackmay be pressed into the plaque and/or blood vessel walls by balloon expansion.Related methods of deployment and deliverydevices are provided for insertion of the plaque tack in a compressed stateinto the blood vessel and expanding it back to its annularshape for holding plaque against the blood vessel walls.
