Balloon occlusion and transluminal aspiration of saphenous vein grafts to prevent distal embolization.
Distal embolization is a common complication of percutaneous intervention in saphenous vein grafts. This may lead to the "no reflow" phenomenon and subsequent myocardial infarction. We describe a case in which we occluded the distal portion of a saphenous vein graft with a balloon to prevent distal embolization, performed percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, and then successfully aspirated the particulate debris with a Dorros/Probing catheter.
Stein
B C
BC
Division of Interventional Cardiology, Scripps Clinic, La Jolla, California 92037, USA. bcstein@yahoo.com
Moses
J
J
Teirstein
P S
PS
D000368:Aged; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary / Q000379:methods*; D002404:Catheterization; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D004617:Embolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006083:Graft Occlusion, Vascular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D001239:Inhalation; D008297:Male; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000637:transplantation*