When Calcium Gets Tough, the Tough Cardiologist Starts to Play …

We report the case of a 60-year-old Caucasian man treated 1 month before at another center with primary coronary angioplasty and stenting of the ramus intermedius for coronary syndrome. Coronary angiography showed a critical stenosis of the left main coronary artery as well as critical calcified stenosis of the left anterior descending artery and the diagonal branch. Coronary calcification was treated with rotational atherectomy that preceded the angioplasty and stenting. Because of persistence of the symptomatology, coronary angiography was repeated 1 month later and showed a critical calcified restenosis of the ramus intermedius at the site of the previous stenting. Considering the high risk of traditional atherectomy, we performed lithotripsy-enhanced disruption of calcium beyond the stents with the Shockwave Coronary Lithoplasty System. The Shockwave Coronary Lithoplasty System has been introduced recently in order to treat calcified coronary lesions with greater safety. The procedure allows most calcified coronary lesions to be treated with simplicity and safety. This system employs sound waves, similar to those used for treating kidney stones, to crush the calcified lesions. We present the first case described to date in whom this technique was successfully used to treat calcified restenosis in a previous stent.Cardiology 2018;141:167 –171
Source: Cardiology - Category: Cardiology Source Type: research