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Excimer laser irradiation is one of several new technologies being studied for their potential to improve upon coronary balloon angioplasty. These data from 1595 procedures in 1521 patients in the U.S. and Europe provide insight into the complication rates of excimer-laser angioplasty.
Procedural success was achieved in 89 percent of angioplasties, and laser success was reported in 81 percent. Laser angioplasty was used alone in just 18 percent of cases; in the others, the laser was augmented by other dilating technologies. Complications included death (0.7 percent of patients), need for coronary-artery bypass graft surgery (3.1 percent), abrupt vessel reclosure (6.1 percent), and severe dissections (4 percent). The rates of major complicati…