(Series in Interventional Cardiology.) Edited by David R. Holmes, Jr., and Kirk N. Garratt. 230 pp., illustrated. Boston, Blackwell Scientific, 1992. $59.95. ISBN 0-86542-190-0.
The technique of coronary angioplasty has had a spectacularevolution since Gruentzig performed the first percutaneous coronaryballoon dilation more than 15 years ago. Since then, the searchfor the Holy Grail has centered on alternative catheter methods,such as those involving lasers, atherectomy, and stents, toremove plaque more efficiently, which in turn would reduce therates of initial complications and long-term restenosis. A particularmilestone in this quest was reached in the fall of 1990, whenthe Food and Drug Administration approved the Simpson directionalcoronary-atherectomy device for general use. This was the firstalternative method to challenge . . . [Full Text of this Article]
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