CLINICAL-RESULTS OF CORONARY EXCIMER-LASER ANGIOPLASTY - REPORT FROM THE EUROPEAN CORONARY EXCIMER-LASER ANGIOPLASTY REGISTRY

From January 1991 to January 1993 the clinical and angiographic data of 470 patients were included in the European Coronary Excimer Laser Angioplasty Registry. Symptoms were CCS class 3 in 23% and CCS class 4 in 14·7%; unstable angina was present in 14·7% and 6·6% of patients had acute myocardial infarction. 0f 477 treated lesions, 60% were type B2, and 19% type C. The lesion was located in the LAD in 61%, in the LCX in 16%, in the RCA in 20%, in a protected left main stem in 13% and in a saphenous vein graft in 2·5%, respectively.Failure of laser angioplasty occurred in 56 (12%) interventions. By multivariate analysis failure was associated with the intention to treat long segmental lesions (risk ratio (RR) 36, confidence interval (CI) 2·9 to 4·4, P =0·0005), segments with severe prestenotic tortuosity (RR 3·5, CI 2·4 to 4·6; P=0·02) and total occlusions (RR 2·1; CI 1·4 to 2·8, P=0·05).Complications included vasospasm (13·4%), dissection (14·7%), flow limiting dissection (4%), reclosure (7·8%), and perforation (1·9%). Myocardial infarction occurred in 2·1%, CABG was requested in 1·9%, and the mortality was 1·5%. Procedural success was achieved in 89%. Individual morphological criteria for a reduced procedural success were the presence of a thrombus (RR 6·4; CI 5·0 to 7·7; P=0·007) and vessel calcification (RR 2·6; CI 1·9 to 3·2; P=0·005). Procedural success was slightly lower in type C lesions (86%) than in type B2 (88%) type B1 (95%), and type A lesions (92%), respectively.The data document the safety and feasibility of the currently used technology for coronary excimer laser angioplasty. Further advances in laser system technology are mandatory to reduce the traumatic side effects of the ablation process. © 1994 The European Society of Cardiology.