title: Balloon Angioplasty of Lesions Beyond Extremely Angulated Bends.
abstract: Angioplasty of stenosis beyond severely angulated bends (acute angle less than 60¡) can be technically difficult. In addition to the difficulty traversing these severe bends with a guidewire, once crossed, even the lowest profile over-the-wire balloon catheter may not advance around these severe angulations. The utility of fixed-wire balloon catheters is often limited by prolapse of the distal wire tip. We describe a technique of shaping a fixed-wire balloon catheter to prevent wire prolapse while traversing severely angulated bends and its successful use in two consecutive cases where conventional methods failed.
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Associates, PC, Suite 101, 106 Irving Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20010, USA.
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Seides