Cutting balloon angioplasty.

The Cutting Balloon is a unique angioplasty device used in percutaneous coronary interventions. The advantage of the Cutting Balloon is its ability to reduce vessel stretch and vessel injury by scoring the vessel longitudinally rather than causing an uncontrolled disruption of the atherosclerotic plaque. The atherotomes deliver a controlled fault line during dilatation to ensure that the crack propagation ensues in an orderly fashion. Lower balloon inflation pressures (4 8 atmospheres) are recommended with the Cutting Balloon. The Cutting Balloon also dilates the target vessel with less force to decrease the risk of a neoproliferative response and in-stent restenosis.