Angioplasty at coronary bifurcations: single-guide, two-wire technique.

A technique is described for angioplasty at coronary bifurcations. This simple approach utilizes a single guiding catheter, an exchange wire, and a conventional dilatation catheter and guidewire. With this "protective" guidewire technique, side branches at risk from occlusion during dilatation of a primary coronary segment can be protected and dilated secondarily; continual access to the threatened side branch is maintained with a "standby" exchange wire in the branch vessel.