Tailored use of transradial access for above-the-knee angioplasty.

PURPOSE: To report the results and complications of a single-center experience of above-the-knee angioplasty via transradial access (TRA). METHODS: In a prospective study, 110 consecutive patients (88 men; mean age 72 years, range 37-90) referred for critical limb ischemia (26, 24%) or claudication were eligible for lower limb angioplasty via TRA (patients with TASC D lesions of the superficial femoral artery and below-the-knee lesions were excluded). RESULTS: The majority of patients (84, 76%) were treated via a left TRA. A total of 170 lesions were addressed, of which 38 (22%) were occlusions; 113 stents were positioned in 82 patients. The overall technical success rate was 91%, with a 63% success rate in occlusions and a 98% success rate in stenoses; by location, the success rates were 91% in suprainguinal lesions and 90% in infrainguinal lesions. No hemorrhagic or local complications requiring surgery were observed. At 1-month follow-up, 101 patients had a downward shift of at least one category in the Rutherford classification of symptoms (clinical success rate 92%); 18 (16%) patients had occlusion of their access radial artery, but none had symptoms or discomfort. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates that TRA is a safe and effective approach for lower extremity arterial revascularization, at least for interventionists with longstanding experience in TRA and in selected anatomical subsets.

Radial artery access for above the knee angioplasty: a feasibility study.

AIMS: Lower limb angioplasty is usually performed by transfemoral access despite the risk of local complications. Transradial access (TRA) has gained acceptance for coronary interventions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of TRA for above the knee (ATK) angioplasty. METHODS AND RESULTS: Twenty-five consecutive patients (eight females; mean age 72, range 55-85 years; seven symptomatic for critical limb ischaemia, 18 for claudication) underwent ATK angioplasty by left (19) or right (6) TRA. A total of 32 lesions were addressed; 16 stents were positioned in 12 patients with an overall success rate of 81%, and a success rate of 38% on occlusions and of 96% on stenoses. The overall success rate on the 16 supra-inguinal lesions was 81%, (success rate 60% on occlusions and 91% on stenoses). The overall success rate on the 16 infra-inguinal lesions was 81%, (success rate 0% on occlusions and 100% on stenoses). Any haemorrhagic complications or local complications needing surgery were observed in the cohort of patients. CONCLUSIONS: TRA can represent a feasible and safe alternative for ATK angioplasty in case of difficult femoral access.

[Transradial access for percutaneous coronary and non-coronary interventions]. / Accesso radiale per la diagnostica e l'interventistica coronarica e non coronarica.

The transfemoral access is still the most widely used approach for percutaneous coronary and non-coronary interventions. However, the transradial access has been increasingly used, mostly because it is associated with less hemorrhagic complications. The present review is aimed at evaluating the use of the transradial access for percutaneous vascular interventions. In many institutions, the radial artery is already the preferred vascular access for coronary procedures for routine coronary angiography but also for complex interventions such as primary angioplasty and angioplasty for stenosis at coronary bifurcations or coronary bypass grafts, or for treating chronic coronary occlusions. The radial artery can be used also as a vascular access for percutaneous peripheral interventions. Supra-aortic vessels (carotid, subclavian and vertebral arteries) can be treated via the radial route when obstructions of the femoro-iliac tract preclude groin access or also to circumvent anatomic variations such as bovine aortic arch. For renal artery angioplasty, the transradial access can be considered ideal for anatomic reasons, at least for those operators who use this access routinely for coronary interventions. At present, the transradial access can also be used, although in specific cases, to treat stenosis of the lower limb arteries in above the knee segments.

[New-onset left bundle branch block as an early electrocardiographic feature of takotsubo cardiomyopathy]. / Blocco di branca sinistra di nuova insorgenza come prima manifestazione elettrocardiografica della cardiomiopatia takotsubo.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a recently described syndrome characterized by reversible left ventricular dysfunction, chest pain, ST-segment elevation, and minor elevation in serum levels of cardiac enzymes, in the absence of significant coronary artery disease. ST-segment elevation is the most common electrocardiographic finding on the admission ECG of patients, followed by evolutionary T-wave inversions. We report a case of takotsubo cardiomyopathy characterized by the unusual feature of a new onset transient left bundle branch block as first electrocardiographic manifestation. New left bundle branch block increases heterogeneity in the broad spectrum of electrocardiographic findings of takotsubo syndrome, contributing to ambiguity in the early recognition and affecting potential management strategies.