Percutaneous coronary rotary ablation

The rotablator is a high-speed rotating ablative system developed to grind obstructing atheromatous material into fine particles. It consists of a rotating burr attached to a long, flexible driving shaft with a central flexible guidewire. The device rotates with a speed of 190,000 r.p.m. In this study, after appropriate pretreatment, the atherectomy system was positioned over the guidewire, the steerable guidewire advanced to beyond the stenosis, the abrasive burr positioned at the stenosis and the rotation commenced. The abrasive burr was advanced until a resistance was experienced and then, with back and forth motion, further advanced until passage of the stenosis was achieved. The procedure was repeated six to eight times until no further mechanical resistance was encountered. Patients were maintained on aspirin and nifedipine. With a burr size between 1.5 and 2 mm, in 32 patients in the right coronary artery, twelve patients in the left anterior descending artery and eight patients in the circumflex artery, an average increase in diameter from 0.52 +/- 0.28 mm to 1.27 +/- 0.37 mm was achieved with respective reduction in the stenosis from 80 +/- 11% to 47 +/- 17%. Balloon dilatation was subsequently carried out in 19 patients in 15 of whom residual significant stenosis was due to the use of an inadequately large burr. There were no deaths. During ablation, in six patients evanescent (of few seconds in duration), spontaneously-reversible AV-block developed probably due to embolization of particles into the sinus node artery. Two patients developed coronary spasm, three had acute occlusion with subsequent myocardial infarction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)