Interventional procedures for atherothrombosis: pathology of retrieved material

The clinical approach to atherosclerotic disease has dramatically changed, thanks to the recent improvements in interventional revascularisation procedures.w1 The mechanical relief of arterial obstruction through the introduction of a catheter into the arterial system to alleviate symptoms and reduce ischaemia and to prevent necrosis has been applied to all the important arterial networks: carotid, coronary and peripheral arteries. Removing the plaque and thrombus through an endovascular catheter without a surgical operation has offered a unique opportunity to obtain and study the retrieved material and to make clinicopathological correlations, thus allowing a better understanding of the atherothrombotic phenomenon. The target of non-surgical percutaneous interventional procedures is to debulk obstructed arteries. This result can be achieved through different approaches and mechanisms. Catheter-based procedures for revascularisation can be divided into two different groups according to the main mechanism responsible for restoration of blood flow.