Rotational coronary atherectomy with adjunctive balloon angioplasty for the treatment of ostial lesions.

Conventional balloon angioplasty (PTCA) of ostial lesions (OL) is associated with suboptimal results and a higher complication rate. Partial plaque ablation with rotational atherectomy (RA) before PTCA might improve results. This approach was used in 63 patients (pts) (mean age 64 +/- 10 yrs; 44 men, 19 women) with 69 OL. There were 15 aorto-OL and 54 branch-OL. Calcification was more frequent in aorto-OL than in branch-OL (67% vs. 35%, P < 0.05). Mean burr size was 1.8 +/- 0.3 mm. Burr-artery ratio was 0.74 +/- 0.10. Adjunctive PTCA was systematically performed. Procedural success was achieved in 58 pts (92%): 14 aorto-OL (93%) and 50 branch-OL (93%) were successfully treated; major complications occurred in 1 (7%) aorto-OL and 1 (2%) branch-OL. Uncomplicated failure occurred in three cases. Minimal lumen diameter (MLD) increased from 0.69 +/- 0.31 mm before RA to 1.43 +/- 0.28 mm after RA (P < 0.001) and 2.16 +/- 0.29 mm after PTCA (P < 0.001). Diameter stenosis (DS) decreased from 75 +/- 13% before RA to 32 +/- 12% after RA (P < 0.001) and 14 +/- 10% after PTCA (P < 0.001). All successfully treated pts underwent repeat angiography 24 h later and exercise testing or repeat cardiac catheterization > 6 mo later. At 24 h repeat angiography, DS was 17 +/- 15% (P = NS vs. after PTCA); no lesion had a DS > or = 50%. Follow-up coronary angiography was performed in 30 pts (52%) who had abnormal stress testing: 13 pts (43%) showed angiographic restenosis in at least one successfully treated OL. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)