What is done during an atherectomy?

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Atherectomy removes plaque from a vessel. In this procedure, a catheter is threaded into a coronary artery and a device within the catheter cuts, shaves, or otherwise ablates the atherosclerotic plaque, removing it from the vessel to restore flow. This directly debulks the obstruction, unlike balloon angioplasty which uses a balloon to press plaque against the wall, bypass grafting which creates a new route around a blockage, or stent placement which simply scaffolds the artery after widening. Different atherectomy devices exist (directional cutters, rotational/orbital burrs, laser) and are chosen based on plaque characteristics. Risks include debris embolization and vessel injury.