Use of Shockwave Lithoplasty for a Patient With Recurrent Angina

Current calcium modification treatments only address the burden of intimal calcium with varying degrees of success and result in an increased risk for adverse events. Here, we describe the use of shockwave intravascular lithoplasty (S-IVL) to effectively treat a severely calcified coronary artery lesion. A 59-year-old male with a history of coronary artery disease with stents presented to our hospital with angina. Diagnostic coronary angiography revealed a mid-right coronary artery (mRCA) stent with severe in-stent restenosis due to under expansion of stent with severe calcification. Due to these factors, the decision was made to reduce the calcium burden with the use of S-IVL. This is a promising technique in plaque modification of severely calcified coronary lesions with less risk of myocardial injury and mechanical vascular trauma. It is important to customize the choice of therapy based on the patient and the characteristics of the coronary lesion.