Ep. 172 Treating Above the Knee Calcium with Dr. Bryan Fisher

CLI fighters Dr. Bryan Fisher and Dr. Sabeen Dhand discuss their approach to treating calcified arteries above the knee, including looking at newer technologies and choosing the appropriate device to effect real durable change to the calcified wall.

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SHOW NOTES

In this episode, vascular surgeon Dr. Bryan Fisher and our host Dr. Sabeen Dhand discuss treatments, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), and device selection for calcified lesions above the knee.

First, Dr. Fisher discusses common risk factors for above the knee calcifications, including diabetes, end-stage renal disease, and smoking. In his diagnostic workup, he highlights the benefits of using CT for showing atherosclerotic disease, as well as IVUS for viewing intimal and medial calcifications.

With intimal calcifications, Dr. Fisher prefers to use an atherectomy device. For severely stenotic regions, he notes that orbital atherectomy can clear the way for other devices to pass through. After atherectomy, he usually performs IVUS to identify the luminal gain and assess the degree of plaque modification.

The doctors talk about new frontiers in technology such as intravascular lithotripsy, a technique that has been modified from urological treatment. The intermittent delivery of focal energy cracks calcium deposits and minimizes the risk of vessel rupture. Additionally, they discuss optical coherence tomography and how it can assist in visualizing the results of lithotripsy.

Overall, Dr. Fisher believes that angioplasties will likely cause injury to intimal walls, but these effects can be minimized by knowledge of vessel architecture and proper device selection.

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RESOURCES

The Surgical Clinic: https://thesurgicalclinics.com/

Shockwave Intravascular Lithotripsy: https://shockwavemedical.com/clinicians/international/peripheral/