[Progress and prospect of excimer laser ablation in the treatment of therosclerotic obliterans].

In the past few years, the occurrence of atherosclerotic obliterans (ASO) has increased obviously. Although the percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting have been the main treatment methods of ASO, 50% of these patients need re-intervention within 2 years due to restenosis. As the emerging debulking device, excimer laser ablation (ELA) could decrease the deployment of stent and increase the vessel patency. However, the application time of ELA in China is short. Although the effectiveness of ELA in in-stent restenosis has been reported in previous studies, its value in de-novo lesions of lower extremity arteries is still unclear. By reviewing the latest literature and the clinical experience, this article aims to summarize the application of ELA in the lower extremity arterial disease, the factors affecting the vessel patency, the prevention and treatment of device-related complications, and the developing trend of ELA, in order to improve the vessel patency and the patient's prognosis.