Beyond the balloon: excimer coronary laser atherectomy used alone or in combination with rotational atherectomy in the treatment of chronic total occlusions, non-crossable and non-expansible coronary lesions

Abstract

ELCA provides safe and effective adjunctive therapy in contemporary PCI to treat lesions associated with balloon failure due to an inability either to cross the lesion or to expand a balloon sufficiently to permit stenting. ELCA was successful in the majority of these selected cases when used independently with further effectiveness achieved when combined with RA or after RA failure.