Lasers for Ischemic Heart Disease : Update on Alternatives for the Treatment of Diffuse Coronary Artery Disease

With the growing age of the population, the proportion of elderly patients with diffuse coronary artery disease and severe comorbidities is increasing. The characteristics of these patients render them unsuitable for currently recognized revascularization procedures (CABG, PTCA). Therefore, there is an urgent need for new treatment modalities which could alleviate their symptoms and increase blood flow to the ischemic myocardium, while being less invasive for their fragile condition. The aim of this book is to provide an anatomical and physiological background as well as a complete review of the alternative methods of revascularization which are under development, namely transmyocardial laser revascularization, therapeutic angiogenesis and neurostimulation.