Comparison of immediate and 2-year outcomes between excimer laser-assisted angioplasty with spot stent and primary stenting in intermediate to long femoropopliteal disease.

BACKGROUND: To compare the clinical outcomes between excimer laser-assisted angioplasty (ELA) with spot stent (group A) and primary stenting (group B) in intermediate to long femoropopliteal disease. METHODS: Outcomes of 105 patients totaling 119 legs treated with two different strategies were analyzed retrospectively in a prospectively maintained database. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were similar in both groups. Better angiographic results and lesser increase of serum C-reactive protein levels (0.60 ± 0.72 versus 2.98 ± 0.97 mg/dL, P < 0.001) after the intervention were obtained in Group B. Group A had inferior 1-year outcomes due to higher rate of binary restenosis (67% versus 32%, P = 0.001) and lower rate of primary patency (40% versus 58%, P = 0.039). Rates of amputation-free survival, target vessel revascularization, assisted primary patency, and stent fracture at 24 months were similar in both groups (80% versus 82%, P = 0.979, 65% versus 45%, P = 0.11, 78% versus 80%, P = 0.75 and 6.3% versus 6.8%, P = 0.71, resp.). CONCLUSION: Greater vascular inflammation after ELA with spot stent resulted in earlier restenosis and inferior 1-year clinical outcomes than primary stenting. This benefit was lost in the primary stenting group at 2 years due to late catch-up restenosis. Active surveillance with prompt intervention was required to maintain the vessel patency.

Dual vascular access for critical limb ischemia: immediate and follow-up results.

PURPOSE: To describe a procedural technique involving a combined antegrade femoral and retrograde tibial approach for treatment of complex popliteal and infrapopliteal occlusions, and to determine the safety and efficacy of this technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From May 2008 to March 2010, seven patients presenting with critical limb ischemia received dual vascular access intervention in this institution. Five legs were treated via the retrograde tibial approach after failure of antegrade intervention. A dual access approach was planned and adopted in another two legs. The target vessels were located at popliteal or infrapopliteal arteries. RESULTS: We successfully gained all retrograde tibial access sites and achieved 100% procedural success and immediate hemodynamic improvement. Five legs required stent implantation to optimize the procedural results. No major complication occurred at the tibial access site. During the follow-up period (11.3 ± 7.2, range 3-23 months), no patients required any major amputation; only one patient underwent a mid-foot amputation. The target vessel revascularization rate at 3 and 6 months was 0 and 28.6%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Dual vascular access was successfully used in a small number of selected patients and this technique may hold promise in improving the success rates in the treatment of complex popliteal and infrapopliteal occlusions.

Improvement in left ventricular function following coronary stenting in patients with acute myocardial infarction: 6-month and 3-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND: This study assesses hemodynamic and angiographic changes in patients with a patent infarct-related artery (IRA) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: One hundred and seventy-seven patients with first AMI, who received a predischarge stenting to the IRA and sustained a patent IRA over 3 years, were stratified into 3 groups according to the baseline left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF): group A included 63 patients with a LVEF of >49%, group B 73 patients with a LVEF of 40%-49%, and group C 41 patients with a LVEF of <40%. The hemodynamic and angiographic parameters were compared at baseline, 6-month and 3-year follow-up. RESULTS: The LV end-diastolic volume index increased 1, 4 and 4 ml/m(2) at 6 months and 4, 5 and 10 ml/m(2) at 3 years, respectively in group A, B and C. The LVEF increased 4%, 7% and 12% at 6 months and 6%, 8% and 14% at 3 years, respectively in group A, B and C. The stroke volume index increased 3, 7 and 12 ml/m(2) at 6 months and 6, 8 and 15 ml/m(2) at 3 years, respectively in group A, B and C. The LV wall motion score decreased 2, 3 and 3 at 6 months and was unchanged at 3 years, respectively in group A, B and C. The LV end-diastolic pressure decreased 2, 3 and 4 mm Hg, respectively in group A, B and C, at 6-month follow-up and remained stable at 3 years. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term beneficial effects in patients receiving a late predischarge intracoronary stenting following first AMI were seen and these may be related to patent IRA. A progressive improvement in left ventricular remodeling occurs in all patients regardless of their initial left ventricular function and the improvement continues for at least 3 years.

Combination of duplex ultrasound-guided manual declotting and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in thrombosed native dialysis fistulas.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the safety, feasibility, efficacy, and long-term patency rate of manual declotting under duplex ultrasound (US) guidance followed by percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in thrombosed native arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs). METHODS: Of 87 consecutive thrombosed AVFs evaluated by duplex US, 22 patients with 25 recently thrombotic events in 22 AVFs were suitable for manual declotting. PTA was performed following successful declotting, and long-term patency was assessed. RESULTS: The procedure success rate of manual declotting was 80% (20 of 25), and a residual stenosis of 74+/-9% was identified by duplex US after declotting. PTA reduced the diameter stenosis to 25+/-6% and increased the lumen diameter from 1.33 +/-0.85 mm to 4.62+/-0.98 mm. Neither embolic nor bleeding complications were noted during the procedure. The average procedure time and the fluoroscopy time were 28.4+/-9.9 and 7.2+/-4.1 minutes, respectively. Primary patency rates at 1, 2, and 3 years were 47%, 35%, and 28%; assisted primary patency rates at 1, 2, and 3 years were 71%, 63%, and 63%; and secondary patency rates at 1, 2, and 3 years were 76%, 71%, and 63%, respectively, during a maximum follow-up period of 42 months. CONCLUSION: The combination of duplex US-guided manual declotting and angioplasty of underlying stenosis is a safe and feasible method to treat recently thrombosed native AVFs in selected patients. It simplifies the interventional procedure, reduces cost and radiation exposure time, and extends life span of dialysis fistula with acceptable long-term patency rate.

Acute and long-term outcomes of intracoronary stenting in aorto-ostial, left anterior descending artery-ostial and nonostial stenoses.

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in ostial lesions is technically difficult and is associated with a lower procedural success rate, higher complication rate and restenosis rate as compared to nonostial lesions. The safety, feasibility, immediate and 6-month angiographic, and long-term clinical outcomes of stenting in aorto-ostial, left anterior descending artery (LAD)-ostial and nonostial stenoses, were retrospectively compared in 19 patients with 20 aorto-ostial lesions (group A), 97 with 97 LAD-ostial lesions (group B) and 1778 with 2242 nonostial lesions (group C). The major adverse cardiac events during hospitalization were similar among the three groups (p = 0.816). Twelve patients with 12 lesions in group A, 75 with 75 lesions in group B and 1384 with 1749 lesions in group C underwent a 6-month follow-up coronary angiography. There were no differences in acute gain (2.04 +/- 0.46 vs. 2.34 +/- 0.50 vs. 2.39 +/- 0.54 mm, respectively, p = 0.057) and net gain (0.89 +/- 1.02 vs. 1.26 +/- 1.08 vs. 1.34 +/- 0.76 mm, respectively, p = 0.105) among the three groups. Group B had a larger late loss than group A and C (1.15 +/- 1.01 vs. 1.22 +/- 0.76 vs. 1.04 +/- 0.65 mm, respectively, p = 0.048) and group A had a larger loss index than group B and C (0.59 +/- 0.50 vs. 0.52 +/- 0.31 vs. 0.48 +/- 0.29, respectively, p = 0.027). The binary restenosis rate among the three groups was 33%, 29% and 20%, respectively, (p = 0.072). Group B had higher restenotic rate as compared to group C (p = 0.036). During a long-term follow-up period of 42+/-21 months, major adverse cardiac events were similar among the three groups (15.8% vs. 25.8% vs. 20.1%, respectively, p = 0.362), but group B had a higher incidence of recurrent angina as compared to group C (17.5% vs. 10.9%, p = 0.039). The cardiac event-free survival rate, as determined by Kaplan-Meier analysis, was similar among the three groups (56% vs. 57% vs. 67%, respectively, p = 0.149); a borderline significance was noted as compared group B to group C (p = 0.051). In conclusion, stenting in aorto-ostial or LAD-ostial lesions is safe, feasible and has a similar acute result as compared to stenting in nonostial lesions; however, it still has a higher 6-month angiographic restenosis rate. LAD-ostial stenoses may have a less favorable long-term clinical outcome than nonostial stenoses.

Acute and long-term clinical and angiographic outcomes of coronary stenting using Palmaz-Schatz stent and ACS Multi-Link stent.

Acute and long-term (>/= 3 years) outcomes of coronary artery stenting using Palmaz-Schatz and Multi-Link stent implantations between November 1995 and October 1999 were analyzed. There were 655 Palmaz-Schatz stent implantations in 577 lesions on 477 patients (group A) and 428 Multi-Link stent implantations in 381 lesions on 326 patients (group B). The baseline characteristics were similar in the two groups. Group B had more complex lesions, longer stenotic lesions, and larger reference vessel sizes than group A. However, both groups had a similar in-hospital cardiac events. Four hundred and two patients with 488 lesions in group A and 260 patients with 307 lesions in group B underwent a 6-month follow-up coronary angiography. The restenotic rate per lesion was 16% in both groups (P = 0.872). A 3-year angiographic follow-up was performed in 262 patients of group A (301 lesions) and 139 patients of group B (162 lesions), and restenosis was noted in only 3 patients (1.36%) in group A and 5 patients (4%) in group B, in which the lesion was patent at the 6-month angiographic follow-up. Significant increase in minimal luminal diameter was noted from 2.23 +/- 0.66 mm at 6 months to 2.33 +/- 0.64 mm in group A (P < 0.01), and insignificant increase from 2.23 +/- 0.77 to 2.28 +/- 0.82 mm was noted in group B (P = 0.27). No differences were noted between the two groups in mortality, reinfarction, recurrent angina, target lesion angioplasty, or elective coronary artery bypass surgery during a follow-up period of 60 +/- 3 months. Forty-five patients (9.4%) in group A and 18 patients (5.5%) in group B received additional stenting procedures for newly developed lesions. The overall cardiac event-free survival was 66% in group A and 72% in group B (P = 0.844). In conclusion, the procedural success rate, in-hospital morbidity, 6-month angiographic results, and long-term (>/= 3 years) clinical and angiographic outcomes were similar with coronary stenting using either Palmaz-Schatz or Multi-Link stent. The stented lesions were stable; however, late regression of minimal luminal diameter was noted in both groups, and progression of atherosclerotic change in the nonstented site was noted during long-term follow-up.

Left internal jugular vein thrombosis due to a lung tumor.

Deep vein thrombosis is a common disease among Caucasians but is rare in Asia. Venous thrombosis may be fatal, for example by a pulmonary embolism and right or left atrial thrombosis. Alternatively, deep vein thrombosis may follow a benign pattern such as femoral and popliteal vein thrombosis. Theories abound regarding the causes of deep vein thrombosis, with the most common theories being long-term stasis and lack of exercise. Internal jugular vein thrombosis is a rare but potentially fatal disease with various causes. In the pre-antibiotics era, this disease was frequently associated with deep neck infection. Recently however, local trauma, central catheterization, and repeated intravenous injections with drugs have become the leading causes of thrombosis. Spontaneous internal jugular vein thrombosis may occur in connection with a neoplasm, termed Trousseau's syndrome. This investigation reports a case of lung cancer associated with internal jugular vein thrombosis.

Evaluation of shunt flow by multiplane transesophageal echocardiography in adult patients with isolated patent ductus arteriosus.

The role of multiplane (M) transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in the diagnosis of isolated patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in adults and its effectiveness in the assessment of the pulmonary to systemic flow ratio were evaluated and compared with those obtained from cardiac catheterization examination. Eleven consecutive patients, ranging from 17 to 56 years old (mean of 29.5 +/- 12.0), with clinically suspected PDA were subjects of this study. A complete transthoracic echocardiographic study was performed in each patient before MTEE. MTEE with Doppler color flow mapping showed clear visualization of a ductal structure between the descending aorta and pulmonary artery with a continuous turbulent mosaic flow suggestive of PDA in all 11 patients. The pulmonary/systemic flow and vascular resistance ratios obtained by echocardiography and cardiac catheterization correlated well (r = 0.8732, P =.0004; r = 0.623, P =.04, respectively). This study demonstrated that MTEE combined with transthoracic echocardiography examination is an accurate noninvasive means in the diagnosis of PDA and assessment of the pulmonary to systemic flow and vascular resistance ratios in adult patients.