The use of rotational atherectomy and drug-eluting stents in the treatment of heavily calcified coronary lesions.

INTRODUCTION The treatment of calcified coronary artery lesions is a challenge for percutaneous angioplasty. Rotational atherectomy is an established technique for the effective modification of these lesions prior to conventional angioplasty and stent implantation. Drug-eluting stents (DES) have shown encouraging results in complex lesions and high-risk patients. METHODS This retrospective study investigated the immediate and long-term prognosis after treatment with rotational atherectomy (RotA) and DES implantation in 184 patients with calcified coronary artery lesions. RESULTS During follow up (mean 49 months), 7 patients died (1 from a non-cardiac cause) and the incidence of major adverse cardiac events was 14.85%. Only 4.15% of patients underwent a new angioplasty procedure. CONCLUSIONS The combination of RotA and DES in calcified coronary artery lesions has a very good angiographic result and a satisfactory clinical outcome.