Laser Angioplasty of the Coronary Arteries

Since the laser was shown to be effective in removing coronary atherosclerotic obstruction in postmortem hearts,1 much enthusiasm has been generated to rapidly apply this new technology to the clinical setting. It is hoped that the laser, once fully developed, will re-canalize obstructed coronary arteries without the necessity of open-chest bypass graft surgery, thus avoiding the expense and the lengthy hospital recovery of the surgical procedure in those afflicted with the disease. Recognizing that any new technology requires research effort and time to develop, the purpose of this report is to review the current status of laser revascularization of the coronary arteries.