Mechanisms and immediate and long-term results of adjunct directional coronary atherectomy after rotational atherectomy

Intravascular Ultrasound Imaging and Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories, The Washington Hospital Center, Washington, D.C. USA.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to confirm the mechanisms and the immediate and long-term results of rotational atherectomy and adjunct directional coronary atherectomy. BACKGROUND: Rotational atherectomy is best suited for treating calcific stenoses, but the ability of rotational atherectomy alone to optimize lumen dimensions in large vessels is limited; this is only partly improved by adjunct balloon angioplasty. METHODS: We treated 165 lesions in 163 patients by use of rotational atherectomy and adjunct directional coronary atherectomy. Quantitative angiography and intravascular ultrasound were used for lesion analysis. A matched comparison with 208 lesions treated with rotational atherectomy and adjunct coronary angioplasty was performed. Patients were then followed up for at least 9 months, and target-lesion revascularization was assessed. RESULTS: In the 61 lesions imaged sequentially, lumen area increased from 1.7 +/- 0.8 (mean +/- 1 SD) to 3.9 +/- 1.1 mm(2) after rotational atherectomy, owing to a decrease in plaque plus media area from 16.8 +/- 5.0 to 15.2 +/- 5.2 mm(2) (both p < 0.0001). After adjunct directional coronary atherectomy, lumen area increased even more to 6.7 +/- 2.0 mm(2) (vs. 5.1 +/- 1.4 mm(2) after adjunct coronary angioplasty, p < 0.0001) as a result of both vessel expansion (18.8 +/ 5.3 to 20.8 +/- 5.7 mm(2)) and additional plaque removal (to 14.1 +/- 5.0 mm(2), all p < 0.0001). The total arcs of calcium decreased from 207 +/- 107 degrees to 166 +/- 93 degrees after rotational atherectomy and to 145 +/- 87 degrees after directional coronary atherectomy. Overall, procedural success was 96%, and final diameter stenosis was 15 +/- 17%. Target-lesion revascularization was 23%. The only independent predictor of target-lesion revascularization was a larger overall atherectomy index (84% vs. 59%, p = 0.048). CONCLUSIONS: There is a synergistic relationship between rotational atherectomy and directional coronary atherectomy in the treatment of calcific lesions. The immediate results show a high procedural success--lumen dimensions were larger and late target-lesion revascularization was lower in lesions treated with rotational atherectomy and directional coronary atherectomy than in those treated with rotational atherectomy and adjunct balloon angioplasty.

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