A Prospective Multinational European Study on Evaluation of Practices and Prognostic Factors of Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCI) of Calcified Complex Lesions Using Rotational Atherectomy Device.

In spite of technological advances, PCI of complex calcified coronary lesions remain a challenge.

Observational studies demonstrate that moderate or severe calcifications in lesions to treat are associated with an increase in mortality, in myocardial infarctions, in stent thrombosis, and in complementary revascularizations. Rotational atherectomy is now part of therapeutic armamentarium of interventional cardiologists for the treatment of some complex calcified coronary lesions. Last recommendations of the European Society of Cardiology about revascularizations indicate that rotational atherectomy should be used for "the preparation of calcified or massive fibrotic lesions that cannot be crossed by a balloon or for an optimal dilatation before stenting". However, this technique is not frequently used and limited to high-volume PCI centers. Even though rotational atherectomy demonstrated an improvement in immediate success of complex lesions, the longterm reduction of cardiovascular events after active stenting has not been proved. In observational studies, the results are not consistent because of many selection biases that influence the choice of an angioplasty with rotational atherectomy device (calcifications, severity of the disease). Furthermore, this technique needs operators with a certain amount of experience. The fundamentals of an optimal use of rotational atherectomy remain to be defined (duration and speed of burr, anti-platelet treatments...).