Evaluation of coronary artery stent patency by using 64-slice multi-detector computed tomography and conventional coronary angiography: a comparison with intravascular ultrasonography.

BACKGROUND: Most studies have investigated the diagnostic accuracy of 64-slice multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) to detect coronary artery stent patency by using conventional coronary angiography (CCA) as the reference standard. In this study, we compared the diagnostic accuracy of MDCT and CCA by using intravascular ultrasonography (IVUS) as the reference standard. METHODS: Forty-six patients with previously implanted coronary artery stents (n=87) underwent MDCT followed by CCA and IVUS within 24h. Sensitivities, specificities, positive predictive values (PPV) and negative predictive values (NPV) of MDCT and CCA for detecting or excluding in-stent diameter restenosis (ISDR) by using in-stent area restenosis (ISAR) and minimal luminal area (MLA) ≤4.0 mm(2) of IVUS as the reference standard were determined. RESULTS: Eight stents (9%) were judged non-evaluable using MDCT for the detection of ISDR. ISDR was detected in 28% (22/79) of the evaluable stents using CCA. When ISAR was detected using IVUS, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV for ISDR detection by using MDCT were 71%, 96%, 91% and 86%, and the corresponding values for CCA were 64%, 96%, 90% and 83%. When MLA ≤4.0mm(2) was detected using IVUS, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV for ISDR detection by using MDCT were 87%, 96%, 91% and 95%, and for CCA were 78%, 96%, 90% and 92%. CONCLUSIONS: When ISAR with MLA ≤4.0 mm(2)was detected on IVUS, CCA and MDCT had similar diagnostic accuracies for ISDR detection. High specificity and NPV make 64-slice MDCT a reliable non-invasive method for excluding ISDR.

Endothelial dysfunction in young patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Endothelial dysfunction may be particularly important in the pathogenesis of young patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), because they have different clinical characteristics compared with older patients. We investigated endothelial function in relation to AMI in this young age group. From January 2005 to March 2008, 29 of 31 consecutive patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who were <40 years old and received direct percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were enrolled in the study. We compared the coronary risk factors and flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) in the brachial artery between the acute STEMI patients and 29 age- and gender-matched controls that did not have AMI. Baseline brachial artery diameter and responses to glyceryl trinitrate were similar between the two groups. In contrast, FMD was significantly lower in the young acute STEMI group than in the control (3.47 ± 4.08 vs. 7.45 ± 4.67%, p = 0.001) and correlated with the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) risk score. The impaired FMD in the acute STEMI group was independent of smoking, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, nitrate use, or body mass index. In multiple logistic regression analysis, only FMD and age, not traditional cardiovascular risk factors, were found to be significantly associated with acute STEMI (odds ratio = 0.75, 95% CI 0.63-0.90, p < 0.01). In conclusion, independent of conventional risk factors, severe endothelial dysfunction occurs in young acute STEMI patients and correlates with TIMI score. In addition to age, impaired FMD is the only significant factor associated with acute STEMI in this young population.

Six-year clinical follow-up after treatment of diffuse in-stent restenosis with cutting balloon angioplasty followed by intracoronary brachytherapy with liquid rhenium-188-filled balloon via transradial approach.

BACKGROUND: Long-term follow-up studies revealed a significant decline in the benefits of intracoronary radiation for in-stent restenosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 25 study and 25 contemporaneous control patients with diffuse in-stent restenosis who underwent cutting balloon angioplasty (CBA) transradially, followed by subsequent intracoronary irradiation with a liquid ß-emitter Rhenium-188 (¹88Re)-filled balloon were enrolled in the study. The mean clinical follow-up durations were 64.9 ± 13.0 and 66.3 ± 13.8 months for the irradiated and control patients, respectively. Six-month angiographic restenosis was observed in 16% (4 of 25) of the patients in the irradiated group and 48% (12 of 25) of the patients in the control groups (P = 0.03). The 6-month major adverse cardiac events (MACE) rate was 12% and 44%, respectively (P = 0.025). The 3-year follow-up angiography was performed in 16 of 21 (76%) irradiated patients and in 4 of 13 (31%) control patients who had no significant restenosis at the 6-month angiographic follow-up. Restenosis occurred in 1 of 16 (7%) irradiated patients and 2 of 4 (50%) control patients. Late target lesion revascularization was performed in 1 irradiated and 2 control patients. The MACE rate within 6 years was significantly reduced in the irradiated group (20% vs. 56%, P = 0.019). CONCLUSIONS: Brachytherapy using ¹88Re-filled balloon following CBA for diffuse in-stent restenotic native coronary arteries is effective in reducing target lesion restenosis and improving long-term outcomes.

Feasibility and safety of a transradial approach in intervention for chronic total occlusion of coronary arteries: a single-center experience.

BACKGROUND: The transradial approach for cardiac catheterization has become popular; however, its application in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for chronic total occlusion (CTO) has rarely been reported. This study examines the feasibility and safety of this approach for performing PCI for CTO lesions. METHOD: We retrospectively evaluated 419 consecutive patients who underwent PCI for CTO lesions between February 1998 and December 2003 in our hospital; a transradial artery approach was used in 400 patients and a transfemoral artery approach in 19. RESULTS: The baseline clinical characteristics were similar in the 2 patient groups. The transradial group had more de novo lesions (76% vs 47.37%, p = 0.012), fewer in-stent restenotic lesions (11.75% vs 36.84%, p = 0.006) and smaller guiding catheters (p < 0.001) than the transfemoral group. There was no statistical difference in the procedure success rates (69.25% and 78.95%, p = 0.369) between the 2 groups. The incidence of major complications, including death, Q wave myocardial infarction, and emergency coronary artery bypass surgery, was similar in the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: The transradial approach for PCI can be a feasible choice for a CTO lesion. If this approach fails because of poor back up support from the guiding catheter, the transfemoral approach can be attempted with a larger guiding catheter.

Outcomes of interventions via a transradial approach for dysfunctional Brescia-Cimino fistulas.

The transradial artery approach to angioplasty has rarely been reported as a method for treating dysfunctional Brescia-Cimino fistulas. This study evaluated the feasibility, safety, and 1-year efficacy of this method for treating dysfunctional Brescia-Cimino fistulas. We retrospectively evaluated 154 consecutive procedures in 131 patients (age, 58.3 +/- 11.6 years; male, 48.1%) who underwent the transradial approach in dysfunctional Brescia-Cimino fistulas in the 1-year period after the procedure. The operator determined the use of a regular or a cutting balloon (two cases) in combination with urokinase injection (one case) or catheter thromboaspiration. Radial artery puncture was successful in all cases. Fifty-two cases (33.8%) had totally occluded fibrotic lesions. The overall anatomic success rate and clinical success rate were 61% (94/154) and 81.1% (125/154), respectively. In cases with a totally occluded fibrotic lesion, the clinical success rate was 46%. Successful intervention was associated with a significant reduction in the radial arterial systolic and diastolic pressures. There were no complications of symptomatic arterial embolization or pulmonary embolism, and one complication of venous rupture was successfully treated by compression. The primary patency rates based on intention-to-treat were 75.3% at 30 days and 39.0% at 1 year after the procedure. Excluding the cases with a totally occluded lesion, the clinical success rate was 99% (101/102) and the primary patency rates were 84.3% (86/102) and 52.0% (53/102) at 3 months and 1 year after the procedure, respectively. In conclusion, the transradial approach is a feasible, safe, and effective alternative for catheter intervention for dysfunctional Brescia-Cimino fistulas. Its success rate in cases with a totally occluded fibrotic lesion is unsatisfactory.

Prognostic predictors of sinus rhythm control by amiodarone and electrical cardioversion in patients undergoing percutaneous transluminal mitral valvuloplasty for rheumatic atrial fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: Conversion to sinus rhythm (SR) is rarely attempted in patients with rheumatic atrial fibrillation (AF) because the length of AF duration and the dilation of left atrium (LA) make maintenance of SR difficult. In this study, predictors of the successful maintenance of SR with amiodarone and electrical cardioversion in rheumatic AF patients receiving percutaneous transluminal mitral valvuloplasty (PTMV) were identified. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study included 23 consecutive patients undergoing PTMV for rheumatic AF (6 men, 53+/-11 years; AF duration 25 +/-24 months; LA diameter 44+/-6 mm; mitral valve area (MV) 1.1+/-0.2 cm(2)). Electrical cardioversion was required for the successful conversion to SR in all patients regardless of whether they had received amiodarone (400 mg/day) 2 months before PTMV (n=8) or 2 months after (n=15). After cardioversion, all patients received amiodarone 200 mg/day. With a follow-up period of 35+/-8 months, 14 patients (61%) remained in SR. A greater reduction in LA size (-4+/-3 mm vs 1+/-1 mm; p=0.004) and an greater increase in MV area (0.8+/-0.4 cm(2) vs 0.5+/-0.2 cm(2); p=0.01) by PTMV, not AF duration, were found to be the independent predictors for patients with successful maintenance of SR as compared with patients with recurrence of AF. CONCLUSION: In rheumatic AF patients receiving PTMV, the successful maintenance of SR with amiodarone and electrical cardioversion can be predicted by the degree to which LA size is reduced and MV area is increased.

Popliteal artery occlusion in a young baseball athlete.

Popliteal artery occlusion is a rare vascular complication in athletes and has not been previously documented in baseball players. A 21-year-old male baseball player presented with a 10-month history of progressive claudication because of repeated trauma-induced popliteal artery occlusion from frequently practicing stealing bases by sliding down onto his right leg. He was found to have a transient deficiency in both protein C and protein S. The patient underwent percutaneous transluminal recanalization angioplasty followed by anticoagulation therapy, with good results. This case illustrates the importance of awareness of this potential complication in baseball athletes, work-up for a hypercoagulable state and the feasibility of angioplasty therapy in the management of ischemic limbs after trauma.

Angiographic and clinical outcome in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients receiving an adjunctive double bolus regimen of tirofiban for primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: Because of different dosages, the efficacy of adjunctive tirofiban therapy for primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is currently unclear. The hypothesis that a double bolus regimen of tirofiban will improve angiographic and clinical outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing PCI was tested in the present study. METHODS AND RESULTS: Primary PCI was performed in 217 STEMI patients: 80 received standard PCI (control group) and 137 received tirofiban (tirofiban group). Tirofiban was given as a bolus (10 mg/kg) in the emergency room and again upon arrival at the cardiac catheterization laboratory, followed by infusion of 0.15 mg . kg(-1) . min (-1) until the total dose reached 12.5 mg. The primary endpoint was emergency target vessel revascularization, recurrent myocardial infarction, or cardiovascular mortality at 30 days and 1 year. Baseline clinical and angiographic variables of the 2 groups were similar, as were angiographic results after PCI and bleeding complications at 30 days. The primary 30-day and 1-year endpoints were 5.1% and 11.7% in the tirofiban group, respectively, vs 10.0% (p = 0.171) and 18.8% (p = 0.151) in the control group. CONCLUSION: Although angiographic and clinical benefits were not demonstrated, the results suggest that research into an effective and uniform dosing regimen of adjunctive tirofiban therapy for PCI is warranted.