Coronary atherectomy is a procedure to remove or reduce large plaque deposits from coronary arteries. Coronary atherectomy can be done in numerous ways: with a blade that shaves off the bulging plaque, a burring device that grinds it away, or lasers that evaporate the plaque.

Coronary atherectomy devices are guided, just like angioplasty and stenting, through a catheter inserted into an artery in the groin, to the area of artery narrowing. Coronary atherectomy is generally used to treat large, hardened, or unusual plaque deposits in the coronary arteries, and is often followed by angioplasty or stenting.

For a referral to an expert cardiologist at St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospitals in New York City,
call 1 (877) 996-9334.