Current status and 21 century in the laser transmyocardial revascularization (LTMR)
Okada, M.
Nihon Geka Gakkai Zasshi 97(3): 234-239
1996
ISSN/ISBN: 0301-4894 PMID: 8649335 Document Number: 467225
Recently, much attention has been paid to promote endovascular intervention for the patients with ischemic heart disease and occlusive peripheral arterial disease. There are a few patients for whom coronary artery bypass grafting and repeated PTCA can not be carried out, because small branches or diffuse stenoses of the coronary arteries. To resolve these problems author tried to supply arterial blood from the left ventricle into the ischemic myocardium through new channels created into the myocardium by CO2 laser. Consequently, it could be clarified that this procedure could be hemodynamically, or histologically used as an alternative transmyocardial revascularization (TMR) by laser. Finally, this TMR was clinically employed in 1985. Mechanism, technique and its results of TMR are discussed in detail.