title: Rheolytic thrombectomy of chronic coronary occlusion.
abstract: Percutaneous intervention in patients with intracoronary thrombus continues to pose a significant clinical challenge. In this report, we describe the successful treatment of a 44-year-old patient with an extensive chronic thrombotic occlusion of the right coronary artery using a rheolytic thrombectomy catheter. Despite angiographic documentation of coronary thrombosis 104 days prior to treatment and a voluminous thrombus burden (60 mm in length x 3 mm in diameter), rapid recanalization was accomplished with this device without embolic complications. At 1 year clinical follow-up, the patient has remained symptom free. The design of this novel device and its mechanism of action are described.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Fischman
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Dempsey
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Savage
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003328:Coronary Thrombosis / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017131:Thrombectomy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*