Peripheral Artery Disease Blog

What is the definition of Atherectomy?

Written by Avinger | Jan 29, 2019 12:51:34 PM

 

Looking for the definition of atherectomy?

The definition of atherectomy is:
An atherectomy is a minimally-invasive method of removing plaque to re-open arteries. Unlike angioplasty and stenting which are designed to squish plaque to the side, atherectomy involves removing the plaque from the artery, restoring normal blood flow.

Atherectomy is pronounced: \ˌath-ə-ˈrek-tə-mē

Term “atherectomy” comes from combining the prefix “Ather” and suffix “ectomy”

Ather - fatty deposit, soft gruel-like deposit
- ectomy denoting surgical removal of a specified part of the body

The prefix “ather” also relates to “atherosclerosis.” Atherosclerosis is a disease in which the inside of an artery narrows due to the buildup of plaque. Initially, a patient may person may experience no symptoms. However, building up over time, plaque can become severe, resulting in coronary artery disease, stroke, peripheral artery disease, kidney problems or a combination of all three.

 

Take Action:

Learn more about treatment atherectomy as a treatment option, please click here.

To find a doctor performs atherectomies, click here.