[Initial experience with transluminal laser recanalization in patients with stenosing arteriosclerosis of the lower...

Early experience with transluminal application of low-intensity laser beam (632 nm) to treat atherosclerotic vascular occlusions in 23 patients with combined disorders (Leriche's syndrome and coronary heart disease) is summed up. The beam was carried to the site of occlusion through special laser catheters developed at the A. N. Bakulev Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery (USSR Academy of Medical Sciences). Objective assessment of blood flow recovery in the ischemized limbs was based on angiography, hemodynamic studies, volumetric sphygmography combined with ultrasonic dopplerography and digital subtraction angiography.