[New intervention procedures: lasers, atherectomy, stents].

: New coronary devices--atherectomy, laser angioplasty, and stents--have been designed to overcome main limitations of conventional balloon angioplasty (PTCA). So far, none of the new devices has clearly demonstrated a general superiority regarding acute complications. Late outcome and restenosis are not affected by the type of intervention, but mainly determined by the primary success, i.e. the safely obtained postprocedure lumen diameter. Although the new coronary devices may not replace conventional PTCA in "standard" situations, there are specific indications (venous bypass grafts, aorto-ostial lesions, complex calcified lesions) for atherectomy, laser angioplasty, and stents with better acute results compared to PTCA. Since the best post-procedural result determines the extent of restenosis, it is crucial to select the appropriate device for special lesions or acute complications.