Guidance
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued full guidance to the NHS in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on Percutaneous laser atherectomy as an adjunct to balloon angioplasty (with or without stenting) for peripheral arterial disease.
Description
Blood vessels (arteries) in the legs can become blocked by the build-up of fatty deposits on the inner surface. This can cause leg pain when walking or at rest and, in advanced cases, foot ulcers and gangrene.
For this procedure, a laser attached to a flexible plastic tube (a catheter) is inserted into a blood vessel in the leg and moved to the site of the blockage to burn away the deposits. A balloon is then inserted and inflated to widen the artery at the site of the blockage. An expandable mesh tube (stent) may also be inserted to keep the artery open.
Coding and clinical classification codes for this guidance.