Directional atherectomy for long lesions: improved results.

The percutaneous treatment of complex stenoses, specifically long lesions, has improved substantially during the past decade. To determine the success of directional atherectomy in the treatment of long lesions, a cohort of 88 patients with lesions greater than 10 mm were evaluated and compared to 376 patients with long lesions treated with conventional balloon angioplasty. Directional atherectomy was successful in 97% and PTCA was successful in 93% of patients with long lesions. There were no differences in complication rates for these cohorts (< 2%). Directional atherectomy and PTCA appear to have safely and successfully broadened the percutaneous treatment of coronary disease to include long coronary stenoses.