Excimer laser technology in percutaneous coronary interventions: Cardiovascular laser society's position paper

Excimer Laser Coronary Atherectomy (ELCA) is a well-established therapy that emerged for the treatment of peripheral vascular atherosclerosis in the late 1980s, at a time when catheters and materials were rudimentary and associated with the most serious complications. Refinements in catheter technology and the introduction of improved laser techniques have led to their effective use for the treatment of a wide spectrum of complex coronary lesions, such as thrombotic lesions, severe calcific lesions, non-crossable or non-expandable lesions, chronic occlusions, and stent under-expansion. The gradual introduction of high-energy strategies combined with the contrast infusion technique has enabl…