Excimer Laser Coronary Angioplasty (ELCA), utilizing a laser system initially developed for satellite-based atmospheric studies, is now a powerful instrument for treating heart disease. Recently Laser technology is useful in certain situations involving blocks in the heart blood vessels called as coronary arteries.
In this technique, a catheter with laser emitting tip is inserted into the blocked artery. Excimer laser angioplasty system vaporizes the buildup of fatty deposits – called plaque – in the arteries and improve blood flow.
A tiny optical assembly diffuses the laser strand into a small cone-shaped laser beam as it is emitted from the catheter. The non-thermal laser vaporizes blockages in the artery without damaging delicate tissue. The procedure can be performed in a non-surgical setting using a local anesthetic. It is safer than coronary bypass operations and offers wider utility than balloon angioplasty.
This technology is not a replacement to the other available technology, but can be used in special situations such as:
- When there is build-up of moderate calcium and thrombus in the blocked artery
- When the wire can cross the blockage, but no other devices can be passed through the blockage
- When the blockage with calcium involved is at the level of multiple branches and compromising the branches could be an issue
After treating the artery with laser catheter, patient would need to have balloon to open up the artery and then have the stent to keep the artery open permanently. This adds on to the other technologies available for the treatment of blockages in heart blood vessels, thereby avoiding open heart by-pass surgery. Patients can be discharged in a matter of 1-2 days from the hospital and can go back to normal life sooner. This technology is available in very few centres across the country.
Please watch this video about a patient who underwent Laser Angioplasty with us