Excimer laser angioplasty

Coronary excimer laser angioplasty: reduced complications and indium-111 platelet accumulation compared with thermal laser angioplasty.

The relative safety and thrombogenicity of pulsed excimer and thermal laser angioplasty systems were compared in 20 normal coronary artery segments in a total of seven pigs. Using similar over the wire catheter systems and laser delivery periods of 3 to 5 s, thermal laser angioplasty was achieved with a 1.3 mm metal probe heated with 10 W of continuous argon laser energy and excimer laser angio...

Treatment of in-stent restenosis with excimer laser coronary angioplasty.

Diffuse in-stent restenosis remains an important problem in percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). In this trial, we studied the early and mid-term outcomes of excimer laser coronary angioplasty (ELCA) on diffuse in-stent restenosis. ELCA was performed in 23 patients (19 males). The mean length of the lesions was 14.3 +/- 3 mm and the mean age was 58 +/- 7 years. The minimal lum...

Has excimer coronary laser angioplasty finally found a niche?

Initial experience with excimer laser angioplasty for coronary ostial stenoses.

The excimer laser has several potential advantages over conventional balloon angioplasty in the management of stenoses of the native coronary arteries and of the ostia of saphenous vein grafts. Its use in nine patients, eight of whom were classed as high risk, is described. Four lesions involved the ostia of saphenous vein grafts, three of protected left main stems, and two of native right coro...

In search of the optimized excimer laser angioplasty system.

E xcimer laser coronary angioplasty has emerged as a useful therapy for selected patients with complex coronary artery disease. More than 5,000 patients worldwide have undergone excimer laser procedures with systems from three manufacturers.1,2 The laser operating characteristics and delivery catheter design vary significantly, and clinical study protocols were not equivalent. Data obtained on ...