Intracoronary thrombolysis followed by directional atherectomy: a combined approach for thrombotic vein graft lesions considered unsuitable for angioplasty.

Eccentric complex vein graft lesions with abundant luminal thrombus have been generally considered unfavorable for balloon angioplasty. We present 3 patients in whom such lesions were successfully treated by a combined approach: intracoronary urokinase (1 million units over 1 hr) administered in the catheterization laboratory followed by directional atherectomy of the residual lesions in 2 separate procedures; with the patients maintained on heparin infusion between the 2 stages. No distal embolizations were encountered. Two of the 3 patients developed a groin hematoma without vascular compromise. This combined approach may prove to be an attractive alternative to reoperation in select patients with unfavorable vein graft lesions.