ROTABLATION

A Rotablator, is a miniature diamond studded drill which is used to treat calcified lesions prior to an Angioplasty. It is also known as Rotational Atherectomy. The drill, which is powered by compressed air, is advanced through the site of stenosis at a speed of 140,000-160,000 rpm. The process of drilling through plaque and calcified deposits inside the site of stenosis generates tiny fragments of debris, which can easily pass through the blood vessels and are absorbed by the body.

Rotablation can make treatment possible, or at least easier, in cases where imaging technology reveals severe calcifications, or in cases where calcifications are so severe that only a wire, not a balloon, can cross the site of stenosis.