Rotational atherectomy: a "survivor" in the drug-eluting stent era

Marco Zimarino; Thierry Corcos; Ezio Bramucci; Corrado Tamburino

doi:10.1016/j.carrev.2012.03.002

Rotational atherectomy: a "survivor" in the drug-eluting stent era

Cardiovasc Revasc Med. 2012 May-Jun;13(3):185-92. doi: 10.1016/j.carrev.2012.03.002. Epub 2012 Apr 20.

Authors

Marco Zimarino¹, Thierry Corcos, Ezio Bramucci, Corrado Tamburino

Affiliation

¹ Institute of Cardiology and Center of Excellence on Aging, G. d'Annunzio University-Chieti, Italy. m.zimarino@unich.it

PMID: 22522057
DOI: 10.1016/j.carrev.2012.03.002

Abstract

Mechanical debulking of coronary plaques with rotational atherectomy (RA) has been used for more than 20 years during percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Modification of plaque characteristics may be accomplished with selective ablation of inelastic fibrocalcific tissue. The use of RA, though reduced with the development of bare-metal stents (BMS) and even more with drug-eluting stents (DES), has never been completely abandoned. The present review will analyze reasons for conflicting results obtained in large series and randomized trials on this topic in the past, and will identify criteria for an appropriate use in current times.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Aged
Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary / adverse effects
Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary / instrumentation*
Atherectomy, Coronary* / adverse effects
Coronary Angiography
Coronary Artery Disease / diagnosis
Coronary Artery Disease / therapy*
Drug-Eluting Stents*
Female
Humans
Male
Patient Selection
Plaque, Atherosclerotic
Predictive Value of Tests
Prosthesis Design
Severity of Illness Index
Treatment Outcome
Ultrasonography, Interventional
Vascular Calcification / diagnosis
Vascular Calcification / therapy