Atherectomy
| Atherectomy | |
|---|---|
 Illustration of three types of atherectomy devices being used to remove plaque in a blood vessel | |
| Specialty | Cardiology |
| ICD-9-CM | 39.50, 00.61 -00.62 |
| MeSH | D017073 |
Atherectomy is a
Uses
Atherectomy is used to treat narrowing in arteries caused by peripheral artery disease and coronary artery disease.[1][2]
Controversy
The use of atherectomy instead of or in addition to angioplasty remains an area of controversy, as atherectomy typically involves the use of more costly disposable devices, and clear evidence to justify its use is lacking.[1] Atherectomy has high physician reimbursement relative to angioplasty alone.[3] According to the New York Times, ‘Medical device makers have bankrolled a cottage industry of doctors and clinics that perform artery-clearing procedures that can lead to amputations.’[4]
Technique
Unlike
Atherectomy falls under the general category of
There are four types of atherectomy devices: orbital, rotational, laser, and directional.
The decision to use which type of device is made by the interventionist, based on a number of factors. They include the type of lesion being treated, the physician's experience with each device, and interpretation of the devices' risks and effectiveness, based on a review of the medical literature.
Directional atherectomy is an intravascular procedure guided by optical coherence tomography termed as lumivascular atherectomy.[5]
See also
References
- ^ PMID 32990327.
- ^ PMID 23235596.
- S2CID 220908213.
- ^ "Profiting From Risky Atherectomies That Can Lead to Amputations - The New York Times". 2023-07-15. Archived from the original on 2023-07-15. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- PMID 30148583.