Short-term efficacy and perioperative safety of catheter-based intervention for pulmonary vein stenosis caused by fibrosing mediastinitis / 中华心血管病杂志

Objective: To evaluate the short-term efficacy and perioperative safety of catheter-based intervention in patients with pulmonary vein stenosis caused by fibrosing mediastinitis (FM). Methods: It was a case series study. Consecutive patients with pulmonary vein stenosis caused by FM, who underwent percutaneous pulmonary vein angioplasty in Gansu Provincial Hospital from January 2018 to June 2020, were retrospective enrolled. The baseline characteristics, comorbidities, exercise capacity and hemodynamic data before and after treatment were compared, and the procedural related complications were evaluated. Results: A total of 30 patients ((64.3±7.1) years, 15 males) were included. Sixty-three pulmonary vein stenosis were treated by 32 percutaneous pulmonary vein angioplasty procedures. Forty-four stents were implanted in 41 pulmonary veins after balloon angioplasty, and the diameter of implanted stents was (8.3±1.2)mm. Balloon angioplasty was performed on 22 pulmonary vein stenosis, the mean balloon diameter was (4.2±2.1)mm. The pulmonary vein diameter increased from (2.6±1.3) to (6.6±2.6) mm (P<0.001) and the pressure gradient across the pulmonary vein stenotic segment reduced from 19 (12, 29) to 2 (0, 4) mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) (P<0.001) immediately post procedure. The pulmonary vein flow grade was significantly improved compared with baseline (P<0.001). The most common operation related complications were lung injury (44.0% (11/25)) and hemoptysis (18.8% (6/32)), which did not need special treatment. During the 2.0 (1.3, 3.2) months follow-up, the WHO functional class was significantly improved (P<0.05), the 6-minute walking distance increased from (254.8±114.5) m to (342.8±72.4)m (P<0.05), the mean pulmonary arterial pressure decreased from (40.9±8.3) mmHg to (35.4±7.7) mmHg (P<0.01), 17 out of 19 patients with refractory pleural effusion experienced total remission during the follow-up period (P<0.001). CT pulmonary venography was repeated in 17 patients. The incidence of in-stent restenosis of pulmonary vein was 24.0% (6/25). Conclusions: Percutaneous pulmonary vein angioplasty is effective for the treatment of pulmonary vein stenosis caused by fibrosing mediastinitis. However, it's not so safe, procedural related complication should be paid attention to and the rate of in-stent restenosis is relative high during the short-term follow-up.

Successful repair of infantile scimitar syndrome with contralateral pulmonary vein stenosis in an infant

Abstract Infantile scimitar syndrome (SS) is a rare congenital heart disease and has high mortality. Guidelines have not been established, but surgery is indicated in symptomatic patients. Despite the various surgical approaches, outcomes continue to be disappointing. We present our surgical experience with an infantile SS patient who had stenotic pulmonary veins contralateral to the hypoplastic lung with complicated anatomy. There are few cases with this complex pathology in the literature. Moreover, our patient was the first transplant-free survivor with this complexity in the literature.

Impact factors of in-stent restenosis following successful stent implantation for acquired severe pulmonary vein stenosis post atrial fibrillation ablation / 中华心血管病杂志

Objective: To investigate the influencing factors of in-stent restenosis (ISR) following successful stent implantation in patients with ablation-associated severe pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) who undergo atrial fibrillation ablation. Methods: Data of patients who underwent pulmonary vein angiography to confirm PVS after radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) and received pulmonary vein stenting at Shanghai Chest Hospital from March 2010 to December 2017 were retrospectively analysed. All patients were followed up for a long period of time (pulmonary vein contract-enhanced CT within 6 to 12 months after operation was performed, and pulmonary angiography was performed if CT indicated stenosis>50%). The incidence of ISR was recorded. According to angiography, the patients were divided into ISR group and non-ISR group. The clinical and intraoperative imaging characteristics and interventional data were compared between the two groups. Logistic regression was used to analyse the influencing factors of ISR. Results: A total of 47 patients ((47.1±12.2) years old) were enrolled in this study, including 28 males(59.6%). There were 19 cases in ISR group and 28 cases in non-ISR group. Compared with the non-ISR group, the ISR group received more pulmonary vein isolation ((2.8±0.9) vs. (1.8±1.3), P=0.02), and the interval between last ablation and stenting was longer ((19.4±9.6) vs. (13.0±12.4), P=0.03). The incidence of ISR in patients with stent diameter≤8 mm was significantly higher than those with stent diameter>8 mm (33.3%(20/60) vs. 8.1%(3/37), P<0.01). Logistic regression analysis found that the number of radiofrequency ablation>1 (OR=2.1, 95%CI 1.3-3.9, P=0.02), and the time from the last ablation to stent placement>12 months (OR=1.5, 95%CI 1.1-2.5, P=0.03), reference diameter of stenosed distal vessel (OR=0.7, 95%CI 0.5-0.9, P=0.04), post procedural minimal luminal diameter (OR=0.4, 95%CI 0.2-0.8, P=0.02) and stent diameter (OR=0.6, 95%CI 0.3-0.9, P=0.03) were independent factors of ISR. Conclusions: The greater number of radiofrequency ablations and the longer time from the last ablation to stent placement increase the risk of ISR. The larger reference diameter of the stenosed distal vessel, stent diameter and post procedural minimal luminal diameter are the protective factors of ISR.

Vena cava superior izquierda / Left superior vein cava

Mujer de 72 años con fibrilación auricular paroxística ingresó en la sala de electrofisiología para un aislamiento de venas pulmonares. La evaluación inicial con ecocardiografía intracardiaca reveló una dilatación significativa del seno coronario (fig. 1), la cual permitía el libre movimiento del catéter en su interior. De manera interesante, la ubicación del catéter decapolar en la parte lateral del seno generaba un aumento severo del automatismo atrial. Ante la sospecha de una vena cava superior izquierda persistente, se realizó reconstrucción tridimensional (EnSite NavX, St Jude Medical®) logrando visualizar el trayecto de la vena cava superior izquierda en su totalidad y su relación con el seno coronario (fig. 2). Durante el desarrollo embriológico normal, la vena cava superior izquierda involuciona y su trayecto intrapericárdico se convierte en la vena (ligamento) de Marshall. Aunque se ha documentado en aproximadamente el 0,2% de los pacientes llevados a estudio electrofisiológico (convirtiéndola en la alteración de las venas torácicas más común), pasa inadvertida debido a la ausencia de manifestaciones hemodinámicas1. De hecho, la mayoría se diagnostica de manera casual durante exámenes ordenados por otras razones.