Prospective application of pre-defined intravascular ultrasound criteria for assessment of intermediate left main coronary artery lesions results from the multicenter LITRO study.

OBJECTIVES: This study is a prospective validation of 6 mm(2) as a minimum lumen area (MLA) cutoff value for revascularization of left main coronary artery (LMCA) lesions. BACKGROUND: Lesions involving the LMCA are prognostically relevant. Angiography has important limitations in the evaluation of LMCA lesions with intermediate severity. An MLA of 6 mm(2) assessed by intravascular ultrasound has been proposed as a cutoff value to determine lesion severity, but there are no large studies evaluating the prospective application and safety of this approach. METHODS: We have designed a multicenter, prospective study. Consecutive patients with intermediate lesions in unprotected LMCA were evaluated with intravascular ultrasound. An MLA <6 mm(2) was used as criterion for revascularization. RESULTS: A total of 354 patients were included in 22 centers. LMCA revascularization was performed in 90.5% (152 of 168) of patients with an MLA <6 mm(2) and was deferred in 96% (179 of 186) of patients with an MLA of 6 mm(2) or more. A large scatter was observed between both groups regarding angiographic parameters. In a 2-year follow-up period, cardiac death-free survival was 97.7% in the deferred group versus 94.5% in the revascularized group (p = 0.5), and event-free survival was 87.3% versus 80.6%, respectively (p = 0.3). In the 2-year period, only 8 (4.4%) patients in the deferred group required subsequent LMCA revascularization, none with an infarction. CONCLUSIONS: Angiographic measurements are not reliable in the assessment of intermediate LMCA lesions. An MLA of 6 mm(2) or more is a safe value for deferring revascularization of the LMCA, given the application of the clinical and angiographic inclusion criteria used in this study.

Clinical outcomes of dexamethasone-eluting stent implantation in ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was to evaluate the safety and midterm clinical results of dexamethasone-eluting stent (DexES) implantation in ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI). BACKGROUND: Inflammation plays a pivotal role in both inestabilization of coronary atherosclerotic plaques and development of restenosis after stent placement. Antiinflammatory agents may attenuate those mechanisms and improve clinical outcomes. There is little information about clinical results of DexES and no data are available about their utilization during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in STEMI. METHODS: Consecutive patients with STEMI that underwent primary or rescue PCI in our institution were treated with DexES. Clinical follow-up with routine realization of noninvasive test for detection of myocardial ischemia and coronariography if necessary, were performed. The objective of the study was to evaluate the rate of MACE (death, reinfarction, or target lesion revascularization) during midterm follow-up. RESULTS: The procedure was successful in 96.7% of cases. There were no in-hospital deaths or reinfarctions. One acute stent thrombosis occurred and no subacute thrombosis were observed. During a mean follow-up period of 384 days, cardiac-related death was 1.1%, there were no reinfarctions or late stent thrombosis and target lesion revascularization rate was 4.2%. CONCLUSION: We conclude that utilization of DexES for PCI in STEMI is safe and provides good midterm clinical outcomes.

[Anomalous coronary arteries originating in the contralateral sinus of Valsalva: registry of thirteen Spanish hospitals (RACES)]. / Registro de anomalías congénitas de las arterias coronarias con origen en el seno de Valsalva contralateral en 13 hospitales españoles (RACES).

The registry contains information collected during 2003 from thirteen Spanish hospitals on the incidence, clinical presentation, initial course, diagnostic imaging, and treatment of anomalous coronary arteries originating in the contralateral coronary sinus. In a total of 23,300 coronary angiograms, 98 anomalous coronary arteries were detected (incidence 0.4%): 46 circumflex coronary arteries (47%), 25 right coronary arteries (25.5%), 10 left main coronary arteries (10.2%), three left anterior descending arteries (3.1%), six single coronary arteries (6.1%), and eight other anomalies (8.2%). The most frequent indication for angiography was angina (43.9%). The initial course of the anomalous coronary artery was not identified in 40.8% of cases. In two patients (2%), diagnostic imaging was used to identify the initial course. Associated atherosclerotic disease was present in 51% of patients. In addition, 18.4% had associated valvular disease, with the aortic valve being affected most often (15.2%). Some 16.3% of patients underwent treatment for the coronary anomaly. The incidence was similar to that observed in other published series, with anomalies in the circumflex coronary artery being diagnosed most frequently. Diagnostic imaging was underused.