A Study Comparing the Effects of Coronary Rotational Atherectomy and Intravascular Lithotripsy on Coronary Microcirculation in Patients With Severe Calcified Lesions

This retrospective, multicenter, observational study.The study protocol was approved by the institutional review board at participating centers and was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Owing to the retrospective nature of the study, the requirement for written informed consent was waived.Consecutive patients who underwent RA or IVL due to serve calcification during the PCI at the three participating centers between January 1, 2018, and October 31, 2024, were included in this retrospective analysis. Severe calcification was defined angiographically as radiopacities visible on both sides of the vessel lumen before contrast injection, or by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) as a circumferential arc of calcification ≥270° extending for ≥5 mm in length. Exclusion criteria encompassed the presence of severe calcification treated with RA and IVL, in-stent restenosis and suboptimal angiographic image quality.The follow-up entailed the utilization of a multipronged approach, encompassing clinic visits, medical record reviews and telephone contacts.