A 76-year-old woman with a history of coronary artery bypass graft surgery underwent percutaneous coronary intervention of a calcified left circumflex artery (LCx) lesion with proximal tortuosity and enlargement (Figure 1A-C). On a RotaWire Floppy, a 1.5-mm burr was managed to cross the lesion with a rotational speed of 220,000 rpm (Figure 1D, Supplementary Video 1). During a final polishing run, the burr collided with the lesion, and the driveshaft prolapsed into the distal left main coronary artery (LM). The driveshaft was suddenly fractured (Figure 1E, Supplementary Video 2), resulting in Ellis type III perforation (Figure 1F, Supplementary Video 3). After the implantation of two polytetrafluoroethylene-covered stents, left coronary angiography revealed no contrast extravasation (Figure 1G). Conversely, angiography of bypass graft elucidated persistent contrast extravasation from the distal LM, requiring surgical repair by filling and sealing the perforation site with surgical cotton (Figure 1H, Supplementary Video 4).
Three possible mechanisms of rotablator driveshaft fracture and massive coronary perforation were analyzed: 1) After the burr collided with the lesion, the driveshaft was easily prolapsed due to significant proximal tortuosity and enlargement. 2) Significant mechanical forces exerted at the acute bend of the ostial LCx led to driveshaft fracture. 3) The fractured driveshaft lacerated the arterial wall of the distal LM.
This case highlights the potential precautions of rotational atherectomy in cases with significant proximal tortuosity and enlargement. To prevent this catastrophic complication, delivering rotablator burrs through deep insertion of the guide catheter or child guide catheter beyond the top of the angulation is mandatory (Figure 2).1)2)
References
1. Latsios G, Toutouzas K, Karanasos A, Tousoulis D. Use of extra deep guide-catheter intubation for rotablation-facilitated percutaneous coronary intervention of the right coronary artery. Cardiovasc Revasc Med. 2019; 20:13–14. PMID: 30995965.
2. Ogita M, Suwa S, Sonoda T, Tsuboi S, Miyauchi K, Daida H. Successful rotational atherectomy for an angulated calcified lesion in an anomalous right coronary artery using the “Mother-and-Child” technique. Case Rep Cardiol. 2018; 2018:5927161. PMID: 29581899.