(JNS) A cardiac catheterization using sound waves was successfully performed for the first time in Israel on Sunday, Dec. 8 by the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.

The procedure was done to treat a complex case of severe arterial congestion. The 66-year-old patient had calcium build-up, and doctors used special equipment developed by SHOCKWAVE after a previously performed catheterization failed to help the issue.

The treatment consists of “the deployment of a tiny balloon filled with fluid and tiny balls at the point where there is a build-up of calcium within the artery. After the balloon is in place, sound waves are triggered to create a rapid movement of the balls which create cracks in the calcium inside the artery. The cracks allow for the elasticity of the artery and the insertion of a stent in the same location, without damaging the artery.”

Dr. Yaron Almagor, director of the Catheterization Unit at Shaare Zedek Medical Center, said the new method is “significant news for many patients who have up until now had to undergo complex treatments and surgeries.” In the past, catheterization had not been possible to treat complex cases of calcium accumulation in the arteries because it could damage or rupture the artery. Instead, patients suffering from congestive arterial congestion had to undergo bypass surgery.