title: Successful excimer laser angioplasty following unsuccessful primary balloon angioplasty.
abstract: We report five patients where excimer laser coronary angioplasty facilitated successful balloon dilatation of heavily calcified lesions that could not be dilated by conventional angioplasty techniques alone. In each case, the lesion was crossed successfully with a guide wire. Conventional angioplasty failed because of inability to cross the lesion with a balloon (four lesions) or inability to dilate the lesion with balloon inflation (two lesions). These cases illustrate an indication for excimer laser coronary angioplasty as an adjunctive procedure in heavily calcified coronary stenoses.
authors: Northside Cardiology PC, St. Vincent Hospital, Indianapolis, Indiana.
authors: C L
authors: CL
authors: Wolfe
authors: R J
authors: RJ
authors: Landin
authors: T J
authors: TJ
authors: Linnemeier
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Klette
authors: Z I
authors: ZI
authors: Hodes
authors: M W
authors: MW
authors: Ball
authors: D A
authors: DA
authors: Rothbaum
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D016342:Angioplasty, Laser; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome