Results of the study to determine rotablator and transluminal angioplasty strategy (STRATAS).

Rotational atherectomy is used to debulk calcified or complex coronary stenoses. Whether aggressive burr sizing with minimal balloon dilation (<1 atm) to limit deep wall arterial injury improves results is unknown. Patients being considered for elective rotational atherectomy were randomized to either an "aggressive" strategy (n = 249) (maximum burr/artery >0.70 alone, or with adjunctive balloon inflation < or = 1 atm), or a "routine" strategy (n = 248) (maximum burr/artery < or =0.70 and routine balloon inflation > or =4 atm). Patient age was 62 +/- 11 years. Fifty-nine percent routine and 60% aggressive strategy patients had class III to IV angina. Fifteen percent routine and 16% aggressive strategy patients had a restenotic lesion treated; lesion length was 13.6 versus 13.7 mm. Reference vessel diameter was 2.64 mm. Maximum burr size (1.8 vs 2.1 mm), burr/artery ratio (0.71 vs 0.82), and number of burrs used (1.9 vs 2.7) were greater for the aggressive strategy, p <0.0001. Final minimum lumen diameter and residual stenosis were 1.97 mm and 26% for the routine strategy versus 1.95 mm and 27% for the aggressive strategy. Clinical success was 93.5% for the routine strategy and 93.9% for the aggressive strategy. Creatine kinase-myocardial band (CK-MB) was >5 times normal in 7% of the routine versus 11% of the aggressive group. CK-MB elevation was associated with a decrease in rpm of >5,000 from baseline for a cumulative time >5 seconds, p = 0.002. At 6 months, 22% of the routine patients versus 31% of the aggressive strategy patients had target lesion revascularization. Angiographic follow-up (77%) showed minimum lumen diameter to be 1.26 mm in the routine group versus 1.16 mm in the aggressive group, and the loss index 0.54 versus 0.62. Dichotomous restenosis was 52% for the routine strategy versus 58% for the aggressive strategy. Multivariable analysis indicated that left anterior descending location (odds ratio 1.67, p = 0.02) and operator-reported excessive speed decrease >5,000 rpm (odds ratio 1.74, p = 0.01) were significantly associated with restenosis. Thus, the aggressive rotational atherectomy strategy offers no advantage over more routine burr sizing plus routine angioplasty. Operator technique reflected by an rpm decrease of >5,000 from baseline is associated with CK-MB elevation and restenosis.

Intracoronary Doppler assessment of moderate coronary artery disease: comparison with 201Tl imaging and coronary angiography. FACTS Study Group.

BACKGROUND: Coronary angiography may not reliably predict whether a stenosis causes exercise-induced ischemia. Intracoronary Doppler ultrasound may enhance diagnostic accuracy by providing a physiological assessment of stenosis severity. The goal of this study was to compare intracoronary Doppler ultrasound with both 201Tl imaging and coronary angiography. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fifty-five patients with 67 stenotic coronary arteries underwent coronary angiography with intracoronary Doppler ultrasound and had exercise 201Tl testing within a 1-week period. Coronary flow reserve was measured, and analyses were performed by independent core laboratories. The mean stenosis was 59+/-12%; 51 of 67 stenoses were intermediate in severity (40% to 70%). A coronary flow reserve < 1.7 predicted the presence of a stress 201Tl defect in 56 of 67 stenoses (agreement=84%; kappa=0.67; 95% CI=0.48 to 0.86). In the patients who achieved 75% of their predicted maximum heart rate, the Doppler and 201Tl imaging data agreed in 46 of 52 stenoses (agreement=88%; kappa=0.77; 95%CI=0.57 to 0.97). Scatter was evident when angiography was compared with coronary flow reserve (r=.43), and the angiogram did not reliably predict the results of the 201Tl stress test (kappa=0.21; agreement=57% to 63%). CONCLUSIONS: Doppler-derived coronary flow reserve accurately predicts the presence of exercise-induced ischemia on stress 201Tl imaging, and coronary angiography does not reliably assess the physiological significance of an intermediate coronary stenosis.

Clinical and postmortem outcome of "no-reflow' phenomenon in a patient treated with rotational atherectomy.

In the 77-year-old woman described, atherectomy of a circumflex artery with the Rotablator device was complicated by "no reflow." Ten days later, a 75% right coronary artery stenosis was successfully managed by balloon angioplasty. On the following day, acute closure of this vessel resulted in death. Gross examination of the heart showed features of recent posterior infarction, and microscopic study revealed atheroemboli in myocardial arterioles. We conclude that high-speed pulverization of atherosclerotic plaque can cause clinically significant emboli.

Acute results and long-term outcome of transluminal extraction catheter atherectomy for saphenous vein graft stenoses.

Distal embolization of atheroma and thrombus is a major concern when performing balloon angioplasty in coronary saphenous vein grafts (SVGs). The transluminal extraction catheter (TEC) is designed to remove this material and may improve the safety of percutaneous treatment of SVG disease. We assessed the acute results and long-term outcome of 67 patients (mean age 65.6 +/- 8.1 years; range 47-83 years) who underwent 73 separate TEC atherectomy procedures. Eighty-eight SVG lesions were treated (mean age 8.7 +/- 3.8 years from bypass surgery). Procedural success (< 50% final diameter stenosis and absence of major complications) was obtained in 63 patients (86%). Adjunctive balloon angioplasty and/or directional coronary atherectomy was required in 69 of the procedures (95%). Major complications, occurring in 8 patients (11%), were acute closure in 4 (5%), resulting in Q-wave myocardial infarction in 3 and urgent bypass surgery in 1, and distal embolization in 4 (5%; 1 associated with Q-wave myocardial infarction). Angiographic follow-up was available for 50 patients and restenosis was present in 26 (52%). These data suggest TEC atherectomy can be performed in SVGs with an acceptable procedural risk, but restenosis remains a significant limitation which will require other strategies to overcome.

Coronary revascularization directed by results of coronary Doppler flow measurements.

We present a case where Doppler coronary flow velocity and Doppler reserve measurement directed the decision to proceed with coronary artery revascularization. Measurement of coronary Doppler flow velocity and flow reserve can be useful to help evaluate angiographic "intermediate lesions." The following case involves an indeterminate lesion. A patient was felt likely to have a high-grade stenosis which could not be adequately visualized angiographically because of overlapping vessels. Largely based on the flow velocity and reserve data, the patient was referred for coronary artery bypass grafting.

Complete heart block complicating retrograde left heart catheterization.

Three cases of complete heart block complicating retrograde left heart catheterization are presented. In two of the three cases, electrophysiologic study documented block below the AV (atrial ventricular) node. In the third recurrent complete heart block was fatal. It appears that complete heart block complicating retrograde left sided cardiac catheterization is not simply a pericatheterization event; rather, it appears that there is high risk of recurrent complete heart block and that electrophysiologic study is mandatory.

Congenital aneurysm of the left coronary sinus and left main coronary artery with fistulous communication to the right atrium in pregnancy.

We describe a unique case of a left coronary arteriovenous fistula arising from a left sinus of Valsalva aneurysm in a pregnant woman. The relevant diagnostic contributions of two-dimensional echocardiography, color flow Doppler, magnetic resonance imaging, and angiography are discussed. The hemodynamic manifestations of this anomaly in pregnancy and the eventual surgical correction are reviewed.

Intracoronary thrombectomy: a new approach to total occlusion.

After initial failure with conventional angioplasty of a total right coronary artery occlusion, we were successful in obtaining patency using a combination of intracoronary thrombectomy and thrombolysis. This represents the first report of this technique in the therapy of total right coronary occlusions.

Bilateral coronary thrombosis in the absence of inducible coronary spasm, thrombocytosis, coagulation abnormalities, or angiographic evidence of coronary artery disease: previously undescribed method of myocardial infarction.

A 32-year-old man presented with symptoms and electrocardiographic changes consistent with acute anterolateral myocardial infarction. Selective coronary angiography revealed thromboses in the infarct related artery as well as in the right coronary artery. This case is unique because bilateral in-situ coronary thrombosis producing acute myocardial infarction was documented in the absence of previously proposed mechanisms.