University of Szeged doctors save patient's limb using world-class method
Doctors performed a limb-saving catheter vascular surgery using orbital atherectomy - the most modern technique used today - at the Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Center of the University of Szeged.
The procedure, which has been used around the world for a few years, is still considered a novelty in Hungary. The domestic use of the device, which was primarily developed for the treatment of calcific narrowing of the coronary arteries, only started recently. However, in Central Europe, for the treatment of limb circulatory disease, the technique was used in Szeged for the first time.
The successful intervention was performed by Dr. Med. Hab. Zoltán Ruzsa, associate professor of the department, and Dr. Zoltán Jambrik, assistant professor. The severe circulation disorder of the 66-year-old man's left leg was caused by the long-term blockage of the artery supplying it, which can lead to gangrene and amputation of the limb. To save the limb and improve circulation, angioplasty with a catheter, performed inside the vessel was necessary.
However, the severe calcification did not allow balloon dilation and stent implantation, which are now considered traditional, because successful treatment first requires the removal of the lime mass that caused the narrowing. An orbital atherectomy is a catheter-based method that can be used to treat severely calcified vessels. The system's grinding head, covered with diamond grains, grinds away the lime crystals deposited in the vessel wall during circular rotation. As a result, the lime deposit on the wall of the blood vessel breaks up into tiny micro-particles, which are simply washed out of the vessel by blood circulation.
Similar to coronary artery disease - causing serious heart diseases - the disease of peripheral arteries is becoming more and more common. High blood pressure, diabetes, a sedentary lifestyle, and smoking are all predisposing to its development. This poses an increasing challenge for doctors in the professions dealing with cardiovascular medicine.
In the Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Center of the University of Szeged, with the cooperation of professionals from different fields, the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, such as circulatory disorders of the extremities, takes place with the use of the most modern technical possibilities. Adopting these technologies and using them in daily practice (in some cases, in a pioneering way to be effective) opens up new horizons.
Source: University of Szeged
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