Clinical validity of the Japanese below-the-knee chronic total occlusion scoring system for the prediction of successful guidewire crossing.

OBJECTIVE: To validate Japanese below-the-knee (J-BTK) chronic total occlusion (CTO) score for the prediction of successful guidewire crossing in angiographic evaluation. METHODS: A prospective, multicenter, non-randomized study examined 751 consecutive BTK CTOs in 497 patients treated with endovascular therapy (EVT) in 16 Japanese medical centers from April 2021 to March 2022. The cohort was classified into 2 groups: a successful guidewire crossing (S-GC) group and a failed guidewire crossing group. RESULTS: The J-BTK CTO score which assigned one point to "Blunt type at the proximal entry point", one point to "Calcification at the proximal entry point", one point to "Reference vessel diameter < 2.0mm", one point to "CTO length ≥ 200mm", and two points to "No outflow of the target vessel" was utilized to categorize BTK CTOs into 4 grades with varying probabilities of successful guidewire crossing: grade A (J-BTK CTO score of 0 and 1), grade B (score of 2 and 3), grade C (score of 4 and 5), and grade D (score of 6). Rates of successful guidewire crossing in each grade (grade A, B, C, and D) were 97.5%, 89.1%, 62.5%, and 27.3%, respectively. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve for successful guidewire crossing was 0.8304. Although the previous J-BTK CTO study enrolled only de novo lesions, both de novo and restenotic lesions were evaluated in this study. De novo lesions have a lower chance of S-GC (odds ratio: 0.24, 95% confidence interval: 0.09-0.67) in the multivariate analysis and the area under the ROC curve of the modified J-BTK CTO score, which additionally assigned two points to "De novo lesion", was 0.846. The modified J-BTK CTO score showed an appropriate calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow p=0.957). CONCLUSION: The J-BTK CTO score and the modified J-BTK CTO score predict the probability of a S-GC of BTK CTOs and stratify the difficulty of EVT for BTK CTOs in angiographic evaluation.

A Novel Sirolimus-Coated Balloon for the Treatment of Femoropopliteal Lesions: The SELUTION SFA Japan Trial.

BACKGROUND: Sirolimus-coated balloons (SCB) for the treatment of femoropopliteal (FP) lesions have not been systematically studied, but initial outcomes from early studies are promising. OBJECTIVES: The authors sought to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the SELUTION SLR SCB, composed of proprietary microreservoir technology combining sirolimus and biodegradable polymer, when used to treat mild-to-moderate FP disease in a Japanese population. METHODS: This multicenter, prospective, single-arm study (SELUTION SFA JAPAN) enrolled 134 patients with FP disease. It was independently adjudicated by an imaging core laboratory and clinical events committee. The primary endpoint was 12-month primary patency, defined as peak systolic velocity ratio ≥2.5 by duplex ultrasound and compared against a prespecified performance goal of 60% based on established angioplasty data. RESULTS: The mean age was 73.8 ± 6.9 years, and 60.3% of patients had diabetes mellitus. The mean lesion length was 127.4 ± 59.7 mm, 17.2% were chronic total occlusions, and 47.8% involved the popliteal artery. Data on 12-month restenosis were available in 127 patients (94.8%). The 12-month primary patency rate was 87.9%, and the freedom from clinically driven target lesion revascularization (CD-TLR) was 97.0% per Kaplan-Meier estimate. The major adverse event rate was 6.7%, driven by 4 CD-TLRs and 5 deaths, none of which were related to the device or procedure. Ankle-brachial index data improved significantly from 0.73 ± 0.16 at baseline to 0.96 ± 0.14 at 30 days postprocedure and was sustained through 12 months (0.94 ± 0.13). CONCLUSIONS: The SELUTION SFA JAPAN trial demonstrated that a novel SELUTION SCB is a safe and effective treatment option for FP disease in symptomatic patients.

Contemporary Therapy of Femoropopliteal In-Stent Restenosis / Occlusion, 36-month Follow up Study.

BACKGROUND: Drug-eluting devices improved outcomes of endovascular therapy (EVT) for femoropopliteal lesions, but mainly for de novo lesions. Endovascular therapy for in-stent restenosis/occlusion (ISR/O) is challenging, and large trials and long-term data are not well reported. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study is a physician initiated, multicenter, and retrospective design. From 7 Japanese institutes, 3635 femoropopliteal cases were enrolled in the study. Among these, 346 cases of first ISR/O were studied. We defined drug-coated-balloon, drug-eluting stent, and covered stent as New devices. Balloon angioplasty and bare nitinol stent were included in the control group. RESULTS: The propensity score matching extracted 112 pairs. At 12 months, the primary patency rate was 80.3% in the new device group and 52.7% in the control group, and there was a significant intergroup difference (P = .004). However, at 36 months, the rate was 43.3% vs 39.2%, with no significant difference (P = .090). No baseline characteristics had any significant interaction effect (all P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: The New devices were more effective than the control group for ISR/O at 1 year, but caught up at 3 years.

Twenty-Four-Month Safety and Effectiveness of TCD-17187 Drug-Coated Balloon for Treatment of Atherosclerotic Lesions in Superficial Femoral and Proximal Popliteal Artery.

PURPOSE: In the present trial, the 24-month safety and effectiveness of the TCD-17187 drug-coated balloon (DCB) for the treatment of atherosclerotic lesions in the superficial femoral artery (SFA) and proximal popliteal artery (PA) were evaluated in Japanese patients. METHODS: This was a prospective, multicenter, core laboratory-adjudicated, single-arm trial. From 2019 to 2020, 121 patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease were enrolled. The primary effectiveness outcome measure was primary patency. The safety outcome measure was the major adverse event (MAE) rate. RESULTS: Age was 74.5 ± 7.3 years, and diabetes mellitus was present in 67.5%. Lesion length and reference vessel diameter (RVD) were 106.0 ± 52.6 mm and 5.2 ± 0.8 mm, respectively. Chronic total occlusion (CTO) and bilateral calcification rate (Grade 3 and 4 by peripheral arterial calcium scoring system (PACSS)) were 17.5% and 50.8%, respectively. The 24-month primary patency rate by duplex ultrasound was 71.3%, while freedom from clinically driven target lesion revascularization (CD-TLR) was 87.0%. The MAE rate was 13.2% and all events consisted of CD-TLR. There were no instances of device- or procedure-related deaths major amputations throughout the 24 months. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis revealed significant differences associated with loss of primary patency in the following characteristics: CTO, restenotic lesion and RVD. CONCLUSION: This trial confirmed the safety and effectiveness of TCD-17187 DCB for atherosclerotic lesions of the SFA and/or proximal PA for up to 24 months. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3, Cohort study. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: https://center6.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr/ctr.cgi?function=brows&action=brows&recptno=R000038612&type=summary&language=J:Registration ID: UMIN000034122. Registration Date: September 13, 2018.

Retrospective analysis on diameters of drug-coated balloons and predilatation balloons in infra-inguinal endovascular treatment (RABBIT study).

This multicenter retrospective study assessed the clinical outcomes of endovascular therapy (EVT) using a drug-coated balloon (DCB) that was larger than the predilatation balloons for femoropopliteal artery lesions. We analyzed 1140 cases with symptomatic peripheral artery disease that underwent EVT with DCB for femoropopliteal lesions between 2017 and 2021. The primary endpoint was procedural failure, defined as a composite of deteriorated dissection and bailout stenting. The secondary endpoints included deteriorated dissection, bailout stenting, restenosis, and target lesion revascularization. We performed propensity score matching to compare the clinical outcomes between EVT with a DCB which was larger than the predilatation balloon (larger DCB) and EVT with a DCB which was not (nonlarger DCB). We assigned 276 cases to the larger DCB group and 864 cases to the nonlarger DCB group. Procedural failure was observed in 75 cases, whereas restenosis occurred in 282 cases during a mean follow-up period of 12.7 ± 9.7 months. Propensity score matching extracted 273 pairs with no intergroup difference in baseline characteristics, except the predilatation balloon size. Procedural failure (9.2% versus 6.1%, P = 0.11), deteriorated dissection and bailout stenting proportion (both P > 0.05), and 1-year rates of freedom from restenosis (82.4% versus 84.1%, P = 0.59) and target lesion revascularization (89.7% versus 90.4%, P = 0.83) showed no significant difference between the larger and nonlarger DCB groups. Irrespective of whether the DCB size was larger than the predilatation balloon, no difference was observed in either procedural or clinical outcomes.

Multicenter Registry of Common Femoral Artery Disease Treated With Endovascular Revascularization Using Interwoven Nitinol Stents: An Observational Retrospective Study.

PURPOSE: Surgical thromboendarterectomy has been the gold standard treatment for common femoral artery (CFA) disease. However, endovascular therapy (EVT) is conducted in certain patients with CFA lesions because of multiple comorbidities. The interwoven nitinol stent (IWS) has been developed to prevent stent fracture. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of EVT using IWS for CFA lesions in clinical practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective multicenter registry analyzed patients who had symptomatic lower-extremity artery disease due to CFA lesions and underwent EVT using IWS between 2019 and 2021. The primary endpoint was restenosis 2 years after EVT. RESULTS: This study enrolled a total of 177 patients with 196 CFA lesions. The 2-year estimate of freedom from restenosis was 88.0%. The 2-year freedom rates from the target-lesion revascularization, major amputation, and all-cause death were 92.9%, 99.0%, and 75.2%, respectively. The clinical features significantly associated with restenosis risk were the reference vessel diameter (RVD, per 1.0 mm, hazard ratio [HR], 0.24 [0.08-0.70]; p=0.009), external iliac artery (EIA) involvement (HR=4.03 [1.56-10.4]; p=0.004), superficial femoral artery (SFA) involvement (HR=3.05 [1.00-9.25]; p=0.049), body mass index (BMI; per 1.0, HR=0.85 [0.73-0.99]; p=0.032), occlusion of deep femoral arteries (DFAs) at baseline (HR=7.89 [2.04-30.5]; p=0.003), and chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI, HR=2.63 [1.02-6.78]; p=0.045). Their significant association was also confirmed by the random survival forest analysis. During a median follow-up of 12.0 months, guiding sheaths were inserted via CFAs implanted IWSs in 73 cases (37.2%), and no patients had cannulation-related complications, such as failed hemostasis, fracture of IWS, and stent occlusion. CONCLUSIONS: Endovascular therapy using IWS in CFA lesions showed acceptable 2-year patency rates at 88.0% and might preserve the arterial access via the ipsilateral CFAs. Small RVD, involving EIA and SFA lesions, emaciation, occluded DFA, and CLTI are associated with poor 2-year patency rates following EVT, thus, IWS implantation in CFA lesions may be an option for patients unsuitable for surgical revascularization. CLINICAL IMPACT: This retrospective multicenter registry enrolled 177 patients with 199 CFA lesions treated with EVT using interwoven nitinol stents, because surgical thromboendarterectomy was difficult due to their multiple comorbidities. The 2-year estimate of freedom from restenosis was acceptable at 88.0%. The 2-year freedom rate from major amputation was also high at 99.0%. Moreover, during a median follow-up of 12.0 months, guiding sheaths were inserted via CFAs implanted IWSs in 73 cases, and no patients had cannulation-related complications such as failed hemostasis, fracture of IWS, and stent occlusion.

Imaging Biomarker for Early-Stage Alzheimer Disease: Utility of Hippocampal Histogram Analysis of Diffusion Metrics.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Biomarkers have been required for diagnosing early Alzheimer disease. We assessed the utility of hippocampal diffusion parameters for diagnosing Alzheimer disease pathology in mild cognitive impairment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-nine patients with mild cognitive impairment underwent both CSF measurement and multi-shell diffusion imaging at 3T. Based on the CSF biomarker level, patients were classified according to the presence (Alzheimer disease group, n = 35) or absence (non-Alzheimer disease group, n = 34) of Alzheimer disease pathology. Neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging and diffusion tensor imaging parametric maps were generated. Two observers independently created the hippocampal region of interest for calculating histogram features. Interobserver correlations were calculated. The statistical significance of intergroup differences was tested by using the Mann-Whitney U test. Logistic regression analyses, using both the clinical scale and the image data, were used to predict intergroup differences, after which group discriminations were performed. RESULTS: Most intraclass correlation coefficient values were between 0.59 and 0.91. In the regions of interest of both observers, there were statistically significant intergroup differences for the left-side neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging-derived intracellular volume fraction, right-side diffusion tensor imaging-derived mean diffusivity, left-side diffusion tensor imaging-derived mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity (P < .05). Logistic regression models revealed that diffusion parameters contributed the most to discriminating between the groups. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the regions of interest of observers A/B were 0.69/0.68, 0.69/0.68, 0.73/0.68, 0.71/0.68, and 0.68/0.68 for the left-side intracellular volume fraction (mean), right-side mean diffusivity (mean), left-side mean diffusivity (10th percentile), axial diffusivity (10th percentile), and radial diffusivity (mean). CONCLUSIONS: Hippocampal diffusion parameters might be useful for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer disease.

Review of Bleeding and Thrombotic Risks Associated With Antithrombotic Therapy After Transcatheter Structural Heart Interventions.

Transcatheter structural heart interventions have drastically evolved over the past 2 decades. However, most catheterization procedures require the deployment of devices in the body; therefore, the adhesion of thrombi to those devices is a major problem, resulting in the requirement of a period of postprocedural antithrombotic regimen. However, in recent years, bleeding associated with these antithrombotic therapies has also become a major concern, attracting the attention of investigators. This is complicated by the fact that patients at high thrombotic risk are also at high bleeding risk, making the issue of administrating antithrombotic therapy challenging. The objective of this review was to identify the important issues and summarize the current status of postoperative antithrombotic therapy and assessment of the bleeding risk following transcatheter structural heart interventions such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement, transcatheter edge-to-edge repair, and transcatheter left atrial appendage occlusion.

Low-Dose vs High-Dose Drug-Coated Balloon for Symptomatic Femoropopliteal Artery Disease: The PROSPECT MONSTER Study Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Randomized trials have shown comparable outcomes between second-generation low-dose drug-coated balloons (LD-DCBs) and first-generation high-dose drug-coated balloons (HD-DCBs); but the trial patients had low clinical complexity, and there were no comparisons in medically complex populations. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare outcomes between an LD-DCB (Ranger; 2.0 µg/mm2) and an HD-DCB (IN.PACT; 3.5 µg/mm2) in patients with symptomatic femoropopliteal artery disease. METHODS: PROSPECT MONSTER (Prospective Comparison of Second-Generation Low-Dose Drug-Coated Balloon With High-Dose Drug-Coated Balloon) was a prospective, multicenter, nonrandomized trial that prospectively collected data from 581 patients who underwent endovascular therapy with the LD-DCB (n = 370) or the HD-DCB (n = 211) for symptomatic femoropopliteal artery disease (Rutherford classes 2-5). The primary outcome was the 1-year primary patency of the LD-DCB in comparison with that of the HD-DCB, as evaluated using propensity score matching. The incidence of impaired flow after drug-coated balloon application was also evaluated. RESULTS: Propensity score matching extracted 163 pairs (358 and 163 patients in the LD-DCB and HD-DCB groups, respectively), with no significant intergroup difference in baseline characteristics. The 1-year primary patency rates in the matched population were similar between the LD-DCB and HD-DCB groups (87.0% [95% CI: 82.5%-91.7%] vs 81.3% [95% CI: 74.8%-88.5%]; HR: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.55-1.59; P = 0.79), as was the incidence of impaired flow (13.6% vs 9.8%; OR: 1.46; 95% CI: 0.78-2.73; P = 0.24). No baseline characteristics had any significant interaction effects on the association of the LD-DCB vs the HD-DCB and 1-year restenosis risk. CONCLUSIONS: LD-DCBs demonstrate efficacy and safety comparable with HD-DCBs in patients with complex clinical backgrounds, suggesting that drug-coated balloon treatment using a lower dose may be possible.

Clinical feasibility of endovascular recanalization with intravascular ultrasound-guided wiring for chronic total occlusion of below-the-knee arteries.

BACKGROUND: Revascularization with endovascular therapy (EVT) for complex below-the-knee (BTK) chronic total occlusion (CTO) remains a challenging problem. The Japanese-BTK (J-BTK) CTO score is reported as an indicator of the difficulty of BTK CTO, with the guidewire (GW) passage success rate decreasing as the grade increases. We previously reported an effective GW crossing method for the intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-guided parallel wiring of complex BTK CTO. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of EVT using IVUS-guided wiring for BTK CTO. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This single center, retrospective study analyzed 65 consecutive BTK CTO vessels in which IVUS-guided wiring was attempted after the failure of a conventional antegrade wiring approach from November 2020 to November 2022. The primary endpoint was the clinical success of the target CTO vessel. The secondary endpoints were the GW success rate per grade based on the J-BTK CTO score, number of GW used for CTO crossing, fluoroscopy time, and complications. RESULTS: Target vessels were the anterior tibial artery (66.2% of cases), peroneal artery (9.2%), and posterior tibial artery (24.6%). Blunt type CTO entry was performed in 55.4% of cases, calcification of entry was observed in 24.6% of cases, the mean occlusion length was 228.2 ± 93.7 mm, mean reference vessel diameter was 2.1 ± 0.71 mm, and outflow was absent in 38.5% of cases. J-BTK CTO scores of 0/1 (grade A), 2/3 (grade B), 4/5 (grade C), and 6 (grade D) were seen in 18.5%, 43.1%, 36.3%, and 1.5% of cases, respectively. The clinical success rate was 95.4%. The GW success rate by J-BTK CTO grade was as follows: grade A (100%), B (100%), C (91.7%), and D (0%). The mean number of GW used was 3.4 ± 1.4, the mean fluoroscopy time was 72.3 ± 32.5 min, and complications occurred in 7.7% of cases. CONCLUSION: This study showed a very high clinical success rate despite the difficulty of BTK CTO. IVUS-guided EVT might be a feasible strategy for complex BTK CTO.

Neutral Silylyne Complex of Molybdenum: Synthesis, Properties, and Access to Silaiminoacyl Complexes via [2+3] Cycloaddition.

A neutral silylyne complex of molybdenum was synthesized by the stepwise dehydrogenation method and its properties were compared with those of the tungsten analog. The complex takes a dimeric form as crystals but afford a monomer-dimer equilibrium in solution. The replacement of the central metal from W to Mo led to a monomer dominant (~98 %) solution at room temperature. The monomer-dimer dynamics was investigated based on thermodynamic parameters. The molybdenum silylyne complex underwent [2+2] cycloaddition with alkynes much faster than the tungsten analog. The reactions with organic azides led to the formation of the first example of silaiminoacyl complexes through [2+3] cycloaddition. The structures and bonding aspects of the products were clarified by multiple measurements and DFT calculations.

Multicenter, retrospective registry of isolated atherosclerotic popliteal arteries treated with endovascular revascularization.

Isolated atherosclerotic popliteal lesions (IAPLs) have been considered challenging. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of endovascular therapy (EVT) using the newer devices for IAPLs. This retrospective multicenter registry analyzed patients with lower extremity artery disease having IAPLs who underwent EVT using the newer devices between 2018 and 2021. The primary outcome was primary patency 1 year after EVT. A total of 392 consecutive patients undergoing EVT for IAPLs were enrolled. The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the primary patency and the freedom from target lesion revascularization were 80.9% and 87.8% 1 year after EVT, respectively. The multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed that the clinical features that were independently associated with restenosis risk were drug-coated balloon (DCB) use for younger age (< 75 years old; adjusted hazard ratio, 3.08 [95% confidence interval 1.08-8.74]; P = 0.035), non-ambulatory status (2.74 [95% confidence interval 1.56-4.81]; P < 0.001), cilostazol use (0.51 [95% confidence interval 0.29-0.88]; P = 0.015), severe calcification (1.86 [95% confidence interval 1.18-2.94]; P = 0.007), and small external elastic membrane (EEM) area measured by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) (< 30 mm2) (2.07 [95% confidence interval 1.19-3.60]; P = 0.010). From the univariate analysis, among patients treated with DCB, younger patients (n = 141) were associated with more comorbidities including smoking (P < 0.001), diabetes mellitus (P < 0.001), end-stage renal disease (P < 0.001), history of revascularization (P = 0.046) and small EEM area (P = 0.036), compared to older patients (n = 140). Moreover, smaller post-procedural minimum lumen area measured by IVUS after DCB dilatation was observed in younger patients (12 ± 4 vs. 14 ± 4 mm2, P = 0.033). This retrospective study demonstrated that the current EVT provided an acceptable 1-year primary patency rate in patients with IAPLs. The primary patency was lower following DCB in younger patients, likely due to the higher rates of comorbidities in this patient population.

Clinical outcome of endovascular therapy using a VIABAHN VBX-covered stent for complex aortoiliac artery disease: the AVOCADO II study.

Clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy of a balloon-expandable covered stent (CS) for aortoiliac occlusive disease (AIOD). However, the real-world clinical outcomes and the underlying factors remain unclear. We assessed the clinical outcomes and factors associated with primary patency after implantation of a balloon-expandable CS for patients with complex AIOD. This prospective multicenter observational study enrolled 149 consecutive patients undergoing VIABAHN® VBX-CS (W.L. Gore & Associates, Flagstaff, AZ) implantation for complex AIOD (age, 74 ± 9 years; male, 74%; diabetes mellitus, 46%; renal failure on dialysis, 23%; chronic limb-threatening ischemia, 26%). The primary study endpoint was 1-year primary patency, and the secondary endpoints were procedural complications, freedom from occlusion, clinical-driven target lesion revascularization (CD-TLR), and surgical revision at 1 year. Risk factors for restenosis were explored using random survival forest analysis. The median follow-up period was 13.1 months (interquartile range 9.7-14.0 months). Procedural complications were observed in 6.7% of the patients. The 1-year primary patency was 94.8% (95% confidence interval 91.0-98.6%), while the 1-year freedom rate from occlusion, CD-TLR, and surgical revision rates were 96.5% (93.5-99.5%), 94.7% (90.9-98.6%), and 97.8% (95.4-100%), respectively. The presence of chronic total occlusion, aortic bifurcation lesion, the number of disease regions, and TASC-II classification was significantly associated with the restenosis risk. In contrast, the calcification severity, IVUS use, IVUS parameters were not associated with restenosis risk. We observed excellent 1-year real-world outcomes after implantation of a balloon-expandable CS for complex AIOD; only a few perioperative complications occurred.

Efficacy and Safety of Percutaneous Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Decannulation Using Endovascular Balloon Dilation and Perclose ProGlide Closure Device: Results from the Multicenter SKYLINE Study.

BACKGROUND: The venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) cannula can be surgically removed, but postoperative complications and surgical staffing issues can be problematic. We previously reported a method of percutaneously removing the arterial cannula of VA-ECMO by combining intravascular balloon dilation and the Perclose ProGlide (PP) closure device. In this study, we investigated the efficacy and safety of this percutaneous decannulation of the VA-ECMO. METHODS: This multicenter, retrospective study involved consecutive patients who underwent percutaneous VA-ECMO decannulation at 2 cardiovascular centers from September 2019 to December 2021. We analyzed 37 patients in whom the VA-ECMO cannula was removed by the percutaneous procedure with balloon dilation and the PP. The primary end point was procedural success of hemostasis. The secondary end points were the procedural time, procedure-related complications, and rate of surgical conversion. RESULTS: The patients' mean age was 65.4 years. The approach site of the endovascular therapy (EVT) procedures were the transradial approach (56.8%), transfemoral approach (27.8%), and transbrachial approach (18.9%). The mean balloon diameter was 7.3 ± 0.68 mm, and the mean balloon inflation time was 14.8 ± 7.3 min. The mean procedure time was 58.5 ± 27.0 min. The procedure success rate was 94.6%, procedure-related complication rate was 10.8%, procedure-related death and postprocedural infection rate was 0.0%, surgical conversion rate was 0.0%, and EVT access site complication rate was 2.7%. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that percutaneous VA-ECMO decannulation using a combination of intravascular balloon dilation in EVT and the PP appears to be a safe, minimally invasive, and effective procedure.

Impact of calcification on clinical outcomes after drug-coated balloon angioplasty for superficial femoral artery disease: Assessment using the peripheral artery calcification scoring system.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether the severity of calcification assessed by the peripheral artery calcification scoring system (PACSS) was associated with clinical outcomes of drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty for femoropopliteal lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 733 limbs with intermittent claudication of 626 patients, who underwent DCB angioplasty for de novo femoropopliteal lesions between January 2017 and February 2021 at seven cardiovascular centers in Japan. The patients were categorized using the PACSS classification (grades 0-4: no visible calcification of the target lesion, unilateral wall calcification < 5 cm, unilateral calcification ≥ 5 cm, bilateral wall calcification < 5 cm, and bilateral calcification ≥ 5 cm, respectively). The main outcome was primary patency at 1 year. The Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to explore whether the PACSS classification was an independent predictor of clinical outcomes. RESULTS: The distribution of PACSS was grade 0 in 38%, grade 1 in 17%, grade 2 in 7%, grade 3 in 16%, and grade 4 in 23%. The 1-year primary patency rates in these grades, respectively, were 88.2%, 89.3%, 71.9%, 96.5%, and 82.6%, respectively (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis disclosed that PACSS grade 4 (hazard ratio: 1.82, 95% confidence interval 1.15-2.87, p = 0.010) was associated with restenosis. CONCLUSION: The PACSS grade 4 calcification was independently associated with poor clinical outcomes after DCB angioplasty for de novo femoropopliteal lesions.

Retrospective multicenter registry for endovascular treatment with newer devices in over 25-cm femoropopliteal artery disease: A retrospective observational study.

Background and Aims: Endovascular therapy (EVT) is recommended in femoropopliteal (FP) lesions shorter than 25 cm by current guidelines; however, diffuse FP lesions remains challenging for EVT. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of EVT with the latest devices for FP lesions longer than 25 cm. Methods: This retrospective multicenter registry analyzed patients presented peripheral artery disease (PAD) having FP lesions longer than 25 cm who underwent EVT using the latest devices between 2017 and 2021. The primary outcome was restenosis 1 year after EVT. Results: The present study enrolled a total of 504 PAD patients with 614 lesions undergoing EVT for diffuse FP lesions. The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the rates of freedom from restenosis and clinically-driven target lesion revascularization were 79.3% and 82.4% 1 year after EVT, respectively. The multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed that clinical features associated independently with restenosis risk were cilostazol use (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.49 [0.32-0.74]; p = 0.001), reference vessel diameter (RVD) (0.72 [0.58-0.89] per 1-mm increase; p = 0.002), and P3 segment involvement (2.08 [1.33-3.26]; p = 0.001). The Kaplan-Meier analysis was conducted to compare the primary patency between cases with and without a small RVD, P3 involvement, and/or lack of cilostazol; any risk factors were related to a worse primary patency rate, compared with cases without risk factors. Conclusion: In the current EVT era, the primary patency at 1 year was acceptable at 79.3% in patients with FP lesions longer than 25 cm. A small vessel and P3 segment involvement might be associated with a poor 1-year patency rate after EVT, whereas cilostazol administration might contribute to reducing restenosis.

Impact of Postoperative Lumen Gain on the Reduction of Restenosis Risk after Endovascular Treatment using Drug-coated Balloon for Femoropopliteal Lesions Assessed by Intravascular Ultrasound.

AIM: This study aimed to reveal whether a larger postprocedural minimum lumen area (MLA) would reduce restenosis risk after endovascular therapy (EVT) using drug-coated balloons (DCBs) in femoropopliteal (FP) lesions. METHODS: This retrospective, nonrandomized, single-arm, and multicenter registry analyzed patients with FP lesions undergoing intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-guided EVT with DCB between 2017 and 2021. The primary outcome was restenosis 1 year after EVT. The association between IVUS-based MLA and restenosis risk was investigated using a generalized propensity score (GPS) method to address imbalance of baseline covariates. The dose-response function of IVUS-measured MLA for restenosis risk was developed using the GPS-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: This study enrolled consecutive 489 patients with 595 lesions undergoing DCB treatment. The median MLA (interquartile range) was 13.20 (9.90-16.91) mm2. Kaplan-Meier estimates showed that freedom from restenosis was 84.4% at 1 year. The GPS-adjusted dose-response function showed that MLA was inversely associated with restenosis risk. The upper limit of 95% confidence interval (CI) of the slope was lower than 0 between 10.6 and 17.0 mm2 of MLAs. The 1-year cumulative incidence of restenosis was estimated to be 9.8% (95% CI, 5.8%-13.7%) for the 3rd quartile of MLA (16.91 mm2) versus 18.5% (12.3%-24.1%) for the 1st quartile (9.90 mm2), with a hazard ratio of 0.51 (95% CI, 0.39-0.67; p＜0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The present GPS analysis suggested that larger IVUS-measured MLA might be associated with lower risk of 1-year restenosis after DCB treatment for FP lesions.

Two-year results of endovascular therapy for femoropopliteal artery disease in Japan during the introduction of drug-eluting devices.

Although various devices and strategies were introduced into endovascular therapy, factors associated with chronic outcomes remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to build preliminary data of Japanese femoropopliteal lesions in a period of transition from non-drug to drug technology. This research was a multicenter, prospective, and observational study. A total of 1003 consecutive patients with a mean age of 73.6 ± 8.3 years from 67 institutes were registered from February 2017 to June 2018 in Japan. In addition to the baseline data, angiographic findings affecting primary patency were studied. Lesion length was 16.4 ± 9.6 cm, and chronic total occlusion was found in 42%. Calcified lesions were found in 75% of patients. The 1-year and 2-year freedom from target lesion revascularization were 81% and 75%, respectively, and maximum walking distance showed improvement over the two years (pre; 234 m ± 211 m, 1-year; 402 m ± 241 m, 2-year; 428 m ± 231 m). The independent predictors for primary patency were pre-procedure ankle-brachial index, history of minor amputation, ostium lesion, and drug-coated balloon use. Angiographic analysis revealed that only lesion length and full cover stent were related to primary patency. Two-year freedom from target vessel revascularization was 75% in the Japanese transitional period of drug-eluting devices. Maximum walking distance was improved and well maintained for up to 2-year.

A series of (E)-1,2-diaryldigermenes incorporating bulky Eind groups: structural characteristics and absorption properties.

A series of (E)-1,2-diaryldigermenes, (Eind)ArGeGeAr(Eind) [Ar = phenyl (2), thiophen-2-yl (3), 9,9-dimethyl-2-fluorenyl (4) and 2,2'-bithiophen-5-yl (5)], supported by the fused-ring bulky 1,1,3,3,5,5,7,7-octaethyl-s-hydrindacen-4-yl (Eind) groups, have been obtained as yellow-orange to red crystalline solids by the reaction of 1,2-dibromodigermene, (Eind)BrGeGeBr(Eind) (1), with ArLi. In the crystals of 2-5, the digermene cores show a flexible nature adopting a trans-bent geometry with the trans-bent angles (θ) between the Ge-Ge vector and the CEind-Ge-CAr plane of 34.04(12)° (2), 38.3(3)° and 38.8(3)° (3), 33.69(12)° (4) and 39.30(13)° (5). In the UV-vis spectra, strong π-π* absorptions have been observed with an absorption maximum at 451 nm (ε = 1.3 × 104) (2), 455 nm (ε = 9.7 × 103) (3), 480 nm (ε = 1.3 × 104) (4) and 497 nm (ε = 1.4 × 104) (5), retaining the GeGe double bond in solution. The absorption data and DFT calculations provide evidence for the intrinsic π-conjugation between the GeGe chromophore and aromatic rings involving the narrowing of the HOMO-LUMO gaps (ΔE) with the extension of the carbon π-electron systems.

Clinical outcome of drug-coated balloons in patients with femoropopliteal chronic total occlusive lesions: results from the multicenter EAGLE study.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have reported the efficacy of drug-coated balloons (DCB) for simple femoropopliteal (FP) lesions. However, the effectiveness of DCB for FP chronic total occlusive lesions (CTO) is controversial. The present study investigated the clinical outcomes of DCB for FP-CTO. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 359 limbs of 318 patients who underwent endovascular therapy with DCB for FP-CTO between July 2017 and February 2021 at seven cardiovascular centers. The primary endpoint was 12-month primary patency. The secondary endpoints were the 12-month rates of freedom from: (1) clinically-driven target lesion revascularization (CD-TLR), and (2) re-occlusion. The association of baseline characteristics with the 12-month restenosis risk was investigated using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: The 12-month rate of primary patency was 79.8% (95% confidence interval [95%CI], 75.1% to 84.8%), whereas the corresponding rates of freedom from CD-TLR and re-occlusion were 86.4% (95%CI: 82.6% to 90.4%) and 88.5% (95%CI: 84.7% to 92.4%), respectively. The bailout stent rate was 8.9%. Independent risk factors for restenosis were hemodialysis (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.18 [1.39 to 3.45]; P = 0.001), chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) (2.02 [1.33 to 3.07]; P = 0.001), and restenosis lesion (2.02 [1.32 to 3.08]; P = 0.001). Use of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) was identified as a protective factor for restenosis (0.54 [0.35 to 0.82]; P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the low rate of bailout stent, DCB treatment for FP-CTO was effective in real-world clinical practice. Hemodialysis, CLTI, and restenosis lesion were independent risk factors for 12-month restenosis, and the use of DAPT significantly attenuated the risk of 12-month restenosis.