Effective use of the balloon-deflection technique for severely angulated bifurcation lesions: a case report

We successfully treated a patient with a severely angulated bifurcation lesion using the balloon deflection technique. For this technique, we advanced a coronary guidewire across a severely angulated bifurcation lesion by deflecting the guidewire off of the proximal portion of a coronary balloon that was advanced into a small, adjacent septal vessel. Excluding the coronary angioplasty balloon, no additional devices or specialized wires were needed to perform this maneuver. Using specialized coronary guidewires and/or creating a special curve at the tip of the coronary guidewire was not necessary. This technique is therefore available to all interventional cardiologists. In summary, the balloon deflection technique can be a useful method in order to advance a coronary guidewire across a highly angulated bifurcation lesion.