BALLOON, LASER EQUAL IN ANGIOPLASTY STUDY.Byline: The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times A laser is no more effective than a balloon in opening 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. , according to a Dutch study to be published today. Lasers and balloons are each used in a procedure known as angioplasty, in which a tube is inserted through an artery in the groin and guided to the coronary arteries that nourish the heart. Once the tube is in place, at the site of a blockage, a laser or balloon is used to widen an artery that has been blocked by a buildup of cholesterol. Balloon angioplasty balloon angioplasty: see under angioplasty. has been practiced since the 1970s to flatten cholesterol-laden deposits that obstruct the flow of oxygen-rich blood through an artery. In the newer technique, a laser reopens a channel through the cholesterol deposits. The Dutch researchers said they had undertaken the study because specialists reported that use of the excimer laser A gas laser in which a very short electrical pulse excites a mixture containing a halogen such as fluorine and a rare gas such as argon or krypton. It produces a brief, intense pulse of ultraviolet light. , a powerful form of gas laser, had given excellent results. |
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