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Coronary Intervention

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Percutaneous Coronary Intervention A catheter-based therapy in which a blocked artery is opened using one or several of six different tools. All are delivered by means of a tube inserted in the femoral artery (at the groin) and advanced to the mouth of the artery. Following are the tools: Angiojet A catheter* that suctions clot out of an artery or coronary graft Click here to view short movie: Balloon Angioplasty Compacts plaque to create a larger, approximately normal coronary channel Brachytherapy Delivering low grade radiation to a treated segment of coronary artery to prevent recurrence of scar formation     Cutting Balloon A balloon with micro blades that scores the plaque and relaxes it as it is compacted by the balloon Laser A catheter* consisting of aligned optical fibers that delivers colder laser energy to plaque or clot and vaporizes it into CO2 (carbon dioxide) and water Rotoblator A device that polishes hard, calcified plaque off the inner wall of a coronary artery to enlarge the channel      Click here to view short movie: Stent A cylinder of metal mesh which when deployed in a coronary vessel compacts plaque to make a normal channel      Click here to view short movie: * a catheter is a tube directed into a coronary artery without surgery that then delivers some form of energy to modify or remove plaque. © 2004 Copyright, So. Cal. Cardiovascular Consultants · Developed by Inverselogic