Atherectomy is a procedure that clears blockages in the coronary arteries in order to improve blood flow to the heart and relieve symptoms of coronary artery disease. The procedure may be performed instead of or in addition to other procedures and can improve both the immediate and long-term success of balloon angioplasty and stenting. Although it is no longer a common procedure, it does play an important role in interventional cardiology. When the challenging atherosclerotic coronary artery lesions cannot be crossed by a balloon or cannot be adequately dilated even with non-compliant balloon, such lesions may be better treated by rota-ablation, which is carried out by operators who are experienced in rotational atherectomy.