Atherectomy is a minimally invasive method of removing plaque and blockage from an artery in the body and subsequently widening arteries narrowed by arterial disease. Atherectomy falls under the umbrella category of percutaneous revascularization, which refers to a variety of methods normally used in coronary arteries to restore Circulatory system to the lower extremities. Unlike angioplasty and stents of blocked arteries that simply push blockages aside into the wall of the artery, atherectomy involved inserting a thin catheter with a scraping blade is inserted into the artery. The plaque buildups are removed, opening the artery and restoring normal blood flow. The procedure is considered less invasive than Endarterectomy, which involves surgical removal of plaque from the inner wall of a diseased artery, along with portions of the arterial lining, leaving a smooth tunica externa or outermost layer of the blood vessel. The advantages of atherectomy include less procedure time, ease of use, faster patient recovery, decreased systemic complications, repeatability in light of new occlusions and hope for non-surgical candidates.

[edit] Sources

• http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4433
• Tucker De Sanctis J. Percutaneous Interventions for Lower Extremity Peripheral Vascular Disease. Amer Fam Phys 2001; 64:1965-1972.
• Mark Reisman, MD, Verna Harms, PhD, Patrick Whitlow, MD, FACC, Ted Feldman, MD, FACC, Richard Fortuna, MD, PhD, Maurice Buchbinder, MD, FACC. Comparison of Early and Recent Results with Rotational Atherectomy. Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) 1997; 29:353-357.

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