title: Crossing of a calcified "balloon uncrossable" coronary chronic total occlusion facilitated by a laser catheter: a case report and review recent four years' experience at the Thoraxcenter.
abstract: Failure to cross with a balloon is a well recognised cause of failure to recanalise a chronic total occlusion (CTO) despite successfully positioning a guidewire into the distal true lumen. One technique that is infrequently used currently is excimer laser assisted coronary intervention. We report a patient with CTO in whom in the fourth attempt, the operators succeeded by using a laser catheter. Also, we review the cases treated with laser catheter in our institution during these recent 4 years. The laser catheter can be useful in selected patients including those with CTO where a balloon would not pass despite a guidewire in the distal true lumen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Interventional Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Zhu Jun
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Interventional Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hector M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: García-García
authors.affiliation: Department of Interventional Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schultz
authors.affiliation: Department of Interventional Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van der Ent
authors.affiliation: Department of Interventional Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: p.w.j.c.serruys@erasmusmc.nl.
authors.forename: Patrick W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Serruys
mesh_terms: D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D057785:Catheters; D002908:Chronic Disease; D054059:Coronary Occlusion / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D054018:Lasers, Excimer / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged