A laser beam to open up blocked arteries.Balloon angioplasty balloon angioplasty: see under angioplasty. , in which a tiny balloon is threaded into a coronary artery coronary artery n. 1. An artery with origin in the right aortic sinus; with distribution to the right side of the heart in the coronary sulcus, and with branches to the right atrium and ventricle, including the atrioventricular branches and and then inflated to break up the fatty deposits, is not always a viable procedure for patients with blocked coronary arteries Coronary arteries The two main arteries that provide blood to the heart. The coronary arteries surround the heart like a crown, coming out of the aorta, arching down over the top of the heart, and dividing into two branches. . If the blocked segment is long or too hard, or if the artery was previously repaired surgically, angioplasty can,t be used. Two new studies report on an alternative approach--the use of a laser beam to open up blocked arteries. In the first, 90 percent of the 3,000 patients treated with laser surgery showed good results; only a few had complications, but 16 patients died. A serious complication was perforation per·fo·ra·tion n. 1. The act of perforating or the state of being perforated. 2. An abnormal opening in a hollow organ or viscus, as one made by rupture or injury. Perforation A hole. of the artery by the laser beam, occurring in one percent of the patients and requiring emergency surgery. The second study, published in the February 1994 Journal of American College of Cardiology The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is a nonprofit medical association established in 1949 to educate, research and influence health care public policy. The president for the 2006–2007 year is Steven E. Nissen. [1] The organization has 39 chapters in the U.S. , involved almost as many patients and showed the same one percent incidence of artery perforation. As the authors of this study noted, however, the risk of this complication was reduced more than 50 percent as the surgeons gained more experience with the procedure. |
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