Atherectomy is a minimally invasive technique for removing atherosclerosis from blood vessels within the body.

[3] According to the New York Times, ‘Medical device makers have bankrolled a cottage industry of doctors and clinics that perform artery-clearing procedures that can lead to amputations.’[4] Unlike angioplasty and stents, which push plaque into the vessel wall, atherectomy cuts plaque from the wall of the artery.

While atherectomy is usually employed to treat arteries it can be used in veins and vascular bypass grafts as well.

Atherectomy falls under the general category of percutaneous revascularization, which implies re-canalizing blocked vasculature via a needle puncture in the skin.

The decision to use which type of device is made by the interventionist, based on a number of factors.