21 December, Minsk /Olga Shvaiko - BELTA/. A unique interventional technique for performing surgery to eliminate a narrowed section of coronary arteries has been mastered at the RSPC "Cardiology". This was announced in a conversation with a BELTA correspondent by the center's director, Alexander Mrochek. According to the source, the technique was demonstrated to Belarusian cardiologists by a doctor from the Japanese Nagoya Cardiology Center, Tetsuo Matsubara. "The surgery is unique, one might say it is 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 such operations have been mastered by Belarusian cardiologists. However, there are situations where the doctor, for various reasons, 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 surgeries are minimally invasive, performed under local anaesthesia and 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-

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