title: Rotational atherectomy: a "survivor" in the drug-eluting stent era.
abstract: Mechanical debulking of coronary plaques with rotational atherectomy (RA) has been used for more than 20 years during percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Modification of plaque characteristics may be accomplished with selective ablation of inelastic fibrocalcific tissue. The use of RA, though reduced with the development of bare-metal stents (BMS) and even more with drug-eluting stents (DES), has never been completely abandoned. The present review will analyze reasons for conflicting results obtained in large series and randomized trials on this topic in the past, and will identify criteria for an appropriate use in current times.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cardiology and Center of Excellence on Aging, G. d'Annunzio University-Chieti, Italy. m.zimarino@unich.it
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zimarino
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Corcos
authors.forename: Ezio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bramucci
authors.forename: Corrado
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tamburino
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation*; D017225:Atherectomy, Coronary / Q000009:adverse effects; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D054855:Drug-Eluting Stents; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018579:Patient Selection; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional; D061205:Vascular Calcification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy