Calcified lesions

Find all the latest content on calcified lesions published on this website.

This section revolves around the complexity of calcified coronary lesions and their treatment, from specialised balloon technology to atherectomy devices and lithotripsy. Learn all about the value of invasive imaging and coronary physiology, with many clinical cases showing various treatment modalities and strategies.

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Optical coherence tomography- vs angiography-guided coronary stent implantation in calcified lesions: the ILUMIEN IV trial

28 Aug 2025

In the overall population (n = 2,114), there was a significant interaction between the effect of randomisation to OCT guidance vs angiography guidance in lesions with moderate/severe calcification (n = 1,082) vs no/mild calcification (n = 1,032) on the 2-year rate of TVF (Pinteraction = 0.01).

Reviewer

Salvatore Brugaletta
OCT- vs angiography-guided coronary stent implantation in calcified lesions: the ILUMIEN IV trial

Hostile left main calcific stenosis in HFrEF

20 Aug 2025

Analyse this case to find out how to successfully manage a patient with a severely calcific left main stenosis and severely reduced ejection fraction.

Emanuele Gallinoro

Author

Emanuele Gallinoro
Riccardo Terzi

Author

Riccardo Terzi

Author

Francesca Di Lenarda
Hostile left main calcific stenosis in HFrEF

Remove the shaft technique: tips and tricks

30 Jul 2025

When a rota burr stalls in a calcified artery, quick thinking and the right technique are critical. Discover a proven method to recover the burr safely and avoid surgery.

Petros Dardas

Author

Petros Dardas
Nikolaos Mezilis

Author

Nikolaos Mezilis
Remove the shaft technique: tips and tricks

How to manage a stalled burr: tips and tricks

30 Jul 2025

A stalled rota burr is every operator’s nightmare — but being prepared can make all the difference. In this case, an 80-year-old patient with severe calcification in the proximal and mid LAD faces exactly that complication.

What’s your first step to safely retrieve the burr and complete...

Petros Dardas

Author

Petros Dardas
Nikolaos Mezilis

Author

Nikolaos Mezilis
How to manage a stalled burr: Tips and tricks

How to avoid using a new balloon for trapping?

10 Jul 2025

Trapping wires during complex PCI is essential but dedicated trapping balloons aren’t always on hand — and costs add up fast. This My Toolkit tip shows you how to safely reuse a standard PTCA balloon by stiffening its shaft with the original stylet, making valve crossing...

Helena Correia

Author

Helena Correia
João Silva Marques

Author

João Silva Marques
How to avoid using a new balloon for trapping?

When high calcium burden meets a 75 year-old patient with previous CABG + SAVR + MVr

02 Jul 2025

This case illustrates how a fragile patient with severe three-vessel disease involving LM/LAD was treated. Watch now to find out more, and share your thoughts!

Filippo Pensotti

Author

Filippo Pensotti
Luca Testa

Author

Luca Testa
When high calcium burden meets a 75 year-old patient with previous CABG + SAVR + MVr: an intricate PCI stands as the last line of defense

Best companion's case on intravascular lithotripsy

23 May 2025 – From EuroPCR 2025

Join this session focusing on intravascular lithotripsy in challenging cases, emphasizing device and drug synergy, IVUS guidance, and strategies to avoid exacerbating complications. Clinical cases demonstrate management of tough calcified lesions with novel approaches.

Best companion's case on intravascular lithotripsy

PCI for complex left main disease - LIVE Case

23 May 2025 – From EuroPCR 2025

An 82-year-old male patient with a history of STEMI and diagonal PCI (2004) presented with stable angina (CCS 2). CT imaging revealed 2 severe LAD stenoses (at the ostium and mid part), and a severe bifurcation stenosis at the Cx/OM1 confirmed by angiography. A staged PCI...

PCI for complex left main disease - LIVE Case

Calcium modification: contemporary comparaisons of atherectomy and IVL

22 May 2025 – From EuroPCR 2025

Compare contemporary calcium modification techniques including atherectomy and intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) in complex coronary lesions. Review clinical outcomes, procedural case studies, and registry data highlighting safety and efficacy in acute coronary syndrome and high-risk patients.

Calcium modification: contemporary comparaisons of atherectomy and IVL

Best companions's case on complications in calcified lesions

22 May 2025 – From EuroPCR 2025

Delve into challenging cases involving complications in calcified coronary lesions managed with rotational atherectomy. Topics include unique uses of Rotablation, managing burr entrapment, complex calcium and tortuosity combinations, and addressing perforations resulting from stent optimization and burr retrieval in highly calcified vessels.

Best companions's case on complications in calcified lesions

Best companion's cases on orbital atherectomy

22 May 2025 – From EuroPCR 2025

Dive into advanced cases demonstrating orbital atherectomy techniques for managing challenging calcified coronary lesions. This session includes innovative approaches such as 'sand and knock' calcium modification, orbital atherectomy in complex anatomies, and the use of optical coherence tomography to guide percutaneous treatment of calcified nodules.

Best companion's cases on orbital atherectomy

LV support for very high risk PCI of calficied lesions

22 May 2025 – From EuroPCR 2025

Discover the role of left ventricular (LV) support in performing very high-risk PCI on heavily calcified lesions. This session highlights techniques for navigating complex calcified coronary anatomies using Impella support, strategies for metal casing reshaping, and management of acute MI and cardiac arrest scenarios. Explore alternative...

LV support for very high risk PCI of calficied lesions

PCI for complex calcific coronary artery disease - LIVE Case

22 May 2025 – From EuroPCR 2025

An 87-year-old female patient, at high bleeding risk and with preserved LV function, presented 2 months ago with an inferior STEMI and multivessel disease. She initially underwent RCA PCI followed by staged LCx PCI. She was now referred for PCI of a long, heavily calcified lesion...

PCI for complex calcific coronary artery disease - LIVE Case

Challenges and risks of percutaneous treatment of calcified lesions

22 May 2025 – From EuroPCR 2025

Learn how to effectively manage calcified coronary lesions and their associated risks in this focused session. Understand the critical role of plaque modification and intravascular imaging, and gain insights into addressing stent thrombosis following interventions on calcified lesions through detailed case analyses.

Challenges and risks of percutaneous treatment of calcified lesions

Best companions's case on complications in calcified lesions: episode 2

22 May 2025 – From EuroPCR 2025

Join this session examining complex complications in calcified lesion interventions. Learn from cases featuring controversial approaches that successfully resolved issues, coronary perforation management, retrograde iatrogenic dissection after lithotripsy, and algorithmic bailout strategies essential for navigating challenging calcified lesion complications.

Best companions's case on complications in calcified lesions: episode 2

Calcified un-dilatable lesions in ACS: what should I do?

22 May 2025 – From EuroPCR 2025

Address the challenges of severely calcified undilatable lesions during acute coronary syndrome PCI. This session reviews the impact of coronary calcification on PCI strategy, highlights pitfalls in lesion preparation, and presents detailed case studies demonstrating effective treatment approaches.

Calcified un-dilatable lesions in ACS: what should I do?

Challenging session in calcified lesions

22 May 2025 – From EuroPCR 2025

Engage with a challenging session focused on complex calcified lesion interventions. Topics include innovative triple burr techniques, OCT insights into resistant lesions, volume reduction strategies, eccentric calcium management, and IVUS-guided left main calcified lesion treatment, highlighting practical approaches to difficult cases.

Challenging session in calcified lesions

How to address the problem of calcified left main lesions

22 May 2025 – From EuroPCR 2025

Gain expert perspectives on addressing calcified left main coronary lesions in high-risk and complex clinical scenarios. This session features challenging cases including ACS patients with reduced LVEF, severe calcified stenosis of left main bifurcation, complex PCI in post-CABG octogenarians with rotablation under Impella support, and other...

How to address the problem of calcified left main lesions

Management of heavy calcified bifurcation lesions

21 May 2025 – From EuroPCR 2025

This session focuses on the management of heavily calcified bifurcation lesions using advanced techniques such as IVUS guided guidewire recrossing and orbital atherectomy. Learn step-by-step approaches to tackle complex calcific coronary bifurcations and improve procedural success.

Management of heavy calcified bifurcation lesions

Choices, choices: a global perspective on multiple modalities for calcium modification

21 May 2025 – From EuroPCR 2025

Gain a global perspective on multiple modalities for calcium modification in coronary interventions. This session reviews comparative analyses of orbital, shockwave, rotational atherectomy, and cutting balloons, explores evolving rotational atherectomy practices in the era of intravascular lithotripsy, and presents preliminary data from international registries on coronary...

Choices, choices: a global perspective on multiple modalities for calcium modification