MILWAUKEE, Wis, Recently at St. Luke’s Medical Center a new procedure was performed on woman from Franklin suffering from leg pain. Cardiologists Dianne Zwicke and Tanvir Bajwa collaborated to perform a procedure called cryoplasty to clear the woman’s blocked leg artery. Currently, St. Luke’s is currently the only hospital in Wisconsin to perform this FDA-approved procedure

This new therapy is showing much promise for the treatment of blocked arteries. Crypolasty is actually very similar to angioplasty. A catheter is threaded into the area of the artery that is clogged. However, instead of the saline solution used in the angioplasty, the balloon is inflated with nitrous oxide, a gas that freezes the artery wall and prevents the buildup of plaque. This process is reported to be gentler on the artery wall than angioplasty, preventing much of the inflammation and scarring that can contribute to restenosis or re-narrowing of the artery. The recovery time for cryoplasty is usually the same as an angioplasty. and

St. Luke’s Medical Center is a part of Aurora Health Care, a not-for-profit Wisconsin health care provider and a nationally recognized leader in efforts to improve the quality of health care. Aurora offers services at sites in 80 communities throughout eastern Wisconsin.

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Contact: Jennifer Gross
414-385-2363