Belarusian cardiologists have mastered a unique surgical technique for eliminating narrowed artery sections

December 21, Minsk / Olga Shvaiko - BELTA /. The RSPC "Cardiology" has mastered a unique interventional technique for performing surgery to eliminate narrowed sections of coronary arteries. This was announced in an interview with a BELTA correspondent by the center's director, Alexander Mrochek. According to the interlocutor, the technique was demonstrated to Belarusian cardiologists by Tetsuo Matsubara, a doctor from the Nagoya Cardiology Center in Japan. "The operation is unique, one might say it's the pinnacle of interventional cardiology," noted Alexander Mrochek. If a person's artery is completely blocked by an atherosclerotic plaque, this is one of the indications for interventional intervention. The doctor uses a special catheter, which is inserted into the artery, to essentially puncture the affected area. Then, a balloon is inserted into this area, which is inflated, thereby widening the lumen, where a stent is subsequently placed. This is the ideal scenario, and Belarusian cardiologists have mastered such operations. However, there are situations where, for various reasons, the doctor cannot pass the affected area with a catheter, insert a balloon, and place a stent. In such cases, it is advisable to use the technique demonstrated by the Japanese surgeon. The essence of the technique is that the catheter is inserted through a healthy artery, and then, through collaterals (small vessels that connect two arteries), the guidewire reaches the affected area. The operations are minimally invasive, performed under local anesthesia and with X-ray control. The patient can be discharged from the hospital on the second or third day. So far, only one such surgical intervention has been performed. In the near future, Belarusian specialists plan to perform similar operations independently. -0-