Directional atherectomy and coronary angioplasty: a therapy complementary to myocardial revascularization surgery

A white male patient, 59 years old, with two prior surgical myocardial revascularization and unstable angina, was submitted to coronary arteriography that showed: all the saphenous vein grafts patent and obstruction of 75% in the saphenous vein graft to the second marginal branch of left circumflex artery. Left internal mammary artery (LIMA) was angiographically normal and 80% stenosis was detected in the distal segment of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). The patient was submitted to directional coronary atherectomy for saphenous vein graft and coronary angioplasty for distal-LAD. Both procedures were successfully performed.