Why the study?
Coronary artery calcification complicates PCI, and following the 2021 US Food and Drug Administration approval and rapid adoption of coronary intravascular lithotripsy alongside established rotational, laser, and orbital atherectomy, contemporary national trends in calcium modification strategies from 2020 to 2025 warranted characterization.
Observational
Reports rapid adoption of intravascular lithotripsy alongside traditional atherectomy for calcified coronary lesions, highlighting shifting strategies in percutaneous intervention.
Coronary artery calcification complicates percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) by impairing device delivery and stent expansion, and thus can be associated with adverse procedural and long-term outcomes.1 Rotational, laser, and orbital atherectomy have long been used to modify severely calcified coronary lesions, whereas coronary intravascular lithotripsy (IVL), which uses acoustic pressure waves to fracture vascular calcium, received US Food and Drug Administration approval in 2021 and was rapidly adopted thereafter.
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Abuawad et al. (2026) conducted an observational in Severely calcified coronary artery lesions undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Coronary intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) vs. Rotational, laser, and orbital atherectomy was evaluated.
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