Use of Intravascular Lithotripsy in Heavily Calcified Renal Artery Stenosis: A Case Report

Abstract

Heavily calcified arterial lesions are difficult to treat in an endovascular manner with conventional techniques due to limited arterial compliance. Intravascular lithotripsy offers a novel minimally invasive therapeutic option through endovascular emission of acoustic waves, fracturing calcium deposits and facilitating lesion dilation. We present the case of a successful application of the Shockwave intravascular lithotripsy system (IVL®, Shockwave Medical Inc) in a heavily calcified stenosis of the right renal artery in a patient with a coral reef aorta.

Keywords: arterial calcifications; endovascular; intravascular lithotripsy; renal artery stenosis; shockwave.