Do excimer laser angioplasty and rotational atherectomy facilitate balloon angioplasty? Implications for lesion-specific coronary intervention

Objectives. This study sought to determine whether adjunctive balloon angioplasty after rotational atherectomy and excimer laser angioplasty provides better lumen enlargement (“facilitated angioplasty”) than angioplasty alone. Background. Adjunctive angioplasty is often used immediately after atherectomy and laser angioplasty to further enlarge lumen dimensions, but it is not known whether this practice is superior to angioplasty alone. Methods. Balloon angioplasty was performed in 1,266 native coronary lesions alone (n = 541) or after extraction atherectomy (n = 277) rotational atherectomy (Rotablator) (n = 211) or excimer laser angioplasty (n = 237). Quantitative angiographic analysis included final lumen diameter, final diameter stenosis and efficiency of balloon-mediated lumen enlargement. Results. Compared with angioplasty alone (33 ± 12%) [mean ± SD]), final diameter stenosis was higher for adjunctive angioplasty after extraction atherectomy (37 ± 16%, p < 0.001) and excimer laser angioplasty (37 ± 16%, p < 0.001) and lower after rotational atherectomy (27 ± 15%, p < 0.001). However, there was significant undersizing of balloons after all three devices. To correct for differencs in balloon size, the efficiency index (final lumen diameter/balloon diameter ratio) was calculated and was higher for adjunctive angioplasty after the Rotablator (0.78 ± 0.14, p < 0.001) than after angioplasty alone (0.69 ± 0.12). The efficiency indexes suggested facilitated angioplasty after rotational atherectomy for ostial, eccentric, ulcerated and calcified lesions and lesions >20 mm long. Facilitated angioplasty was also observed after extraction atherectomy and excimer laser angioplasty for ostial lesions, but not for any other lesion subsets. Conclusions. Rotational atherectomy, extraction atherectomy and excimer laser angioplasty can facilitate the results of balloon angioplasty. However, the extent of facilitated angioplasty is dependent on the device and baseline lesion morphology, consistent with the need for lesion-specific coronary intervention.