What is laser angioplasty?
Laser angioplasty is a technique that opens coronary arteries blocked by plaque. Plaque is the build-up of cholesterol, cells and other fatty substances in an artery’s inner lining. In this technique, a thin, flexible plastic tube called a catheter with a laser at its tip is inserted into an artery. Then it’s advanced through the artery to the blockage in the coronary artery. When the laser is in position, it emits pulsating beams of light. These vaporize the plaque. This procedure has been used alone and with balloon angioplasty. The first laser device (the “eximer laser”) for opening coronary arteries was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1992. It’s available in many major U.S. medical centers, but isn’t used very often because of advances in other techniques.. Whether to use coronary artery bypass surgery, balloon angioplasty with or without stenting or the laser depends upon various factors. They include where the blockage is, how many blockages there are, and the ext
