A Comparison of Directional Atherectomy with Coronary Angioplasty in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Directional coronary atherectomy was developed by Simpson in 1984, and unlike balloon angioplasty, it allows the resection of coronary atherosclerotic plaque. From October 1986 through December 1989, 1020 procedures were performed at 14 investigational sites in the United States, with a success rate of 85 percent 1 . As a result, in September 1990 atherectomy was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for coronary revascularization. The procedure has since become widely used in the United States. In 1991, approximately 17,000 coronary-atherectomy procedures were performed, and it is estimated that in 1992 nearly 33,000 procedures were done, accounting for 10 percent . . .