Shockwave lithotripsy (IVL) is a process in which an Intravascular lithotripsy catheter is inserted to blast calcification in blood vessels and enhance blood flow or a clear way for a stent to be implanted.
The IVL is also a very minimally invasive catheter process. In this process, a surgeon makes a small cut in the patient’s arm or leg to insert a balloon catheter with a lithotripsy emitter at the end of the catheter. The lithotripsy emitter emits shock waves that crush the calcification in the blood vessels which do not heed to normal angioplasty.
The shock waves emitted are similar to those emitted in the treatment of kidney stones with specified strength for coronary vessels. The calcium can cause stent fractures or incomplete stents expansion and also increases the efficiency of treatments done on cardiac patients like angioplasty and stent for a long period.
This helps open up the blood vessels and eases the way for stent implantation. In the vessels of the neck and brain, this system is not used.
The IVL system is used for calcified coronaries.The system helps in clearing the way blocked by calcification in blood vessels and is a hindrance to the process of stent implantation or other cardiac procedures.