Laser-Assisted Angioplasty: State of the Art and Future Developments

Laser-assisted balloon angioplasty is expected to meet the well-documented shortcomings of conventional angioplasty. By vaporizing rather than redistributing the atheromatous plaque, reduction of the recurrence rate and of the risk of peripheral embolization is expected (Isner and Clarke 1986; Grundfest et al. 1985; Ginsburg et al. 1985; Geschwind et al. 1984).