Bail-out intravascular lithotripsy for severe stent underexpansion during primary angioplasty: a case report

Intravascular lithotripsy is safe and effective for the treatment of de novo coronary artery calcifications. Its bail-out use in acute coronary syndrome and for underexpanded stents, although currently off-label, could be the best option when other conventional techniques fail.

A patient with an inferior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction underwent a primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Stent underexpansion due to a heavily calcified lesion was refractory to high-pressure balloon dilatations. Complete stent expansion was achieved with intravascular lithotripsy, as evidenced by intravascular ultrasound, and no acute complications occurred.

Treatment strategies for stent underexpansion due to coronary artery calcifications are still debated. High-pressure non-compliant balloon dilatations are rarely sufficient to gain a complete stent expansion. Rotational and orbital atherectomy are contraindicated in presence of a thrombus. Given the possible risks of stent damages, intravascular lithotripsy is currently not indicated in acutely deployed stents but could be the best bail-out technique for otherwise undilatable stents due to severely calcified plaques.