A new scoring system for differentiating malignant from benign "second-look" breast lesions detected by MRI in patients with known breast cancer.

AIM: To propose a scoring system made of reproducible and objective criteria to aid in differentiating malignant from benign "second-look" breast lesions detected at magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were collected retrospectively for "second-look" lesions identified on breast MRI studies performed at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust breast unit over a 2-year period (from January 2020 to January 2022). Ninety-five "second look" MRI-detected lesions were included in this retrospective study. Lesions were assessed according to margins, T2 signal, internal enhancement patterns, contrast kinetics, and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) patterns. RESULTS: Fifty-two per cent of the included lesions were confirmed at histopathology to be malignant. The most common contrast kinetics identified in malignant lesions was the plateau pattern followed by the washout pattern while the most common pattern in benign lesions was the progressive pattern. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) cut-off value for separating benign and malignant lesions at the unit was found to be 1.1 × 10-3 mm2/s. Based on the MRI features described above, a scoring system is suggested to help differentiate benign from malignant "second-look" lesions. According to the present results, setting a score of 2 or more points as an indication for biopsy was 100% reliable in identifying malignant lesions and avoiding biopsies in >30% of lesions. CONCLUSION: The suggested scoring system could avoid biopsy of >30% of the "second-look" lesions detected by MRI without missing any malignant lesions.

Drug-eluting stents in patients with end-stage renal disease.

Advanced coronary artery disease (CAD) and acute cardiac events are the most common causes of death in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). However, these patients are almost always excluded from trials examining innovations in medical and revascularization strategies for coronary disease. Extrapolation of trial conclusions regarding this high-risk patient population can be misleading because the risk-benefit ratios of various interventions are markedly different from those noted in patients with normal or mildly abnormal renal function. Because of their heightened risk, ESRD patients are frequently referred for coronary revascularization, despite the absence of solid evidence to demonstrate improved survival or reduction in clinical events. The introduction and utilization of drug-eluting stents (DES) resulted in dramatic reductions in target vessel revascularization, which now challenges the traditional algorithms of clinical decisions of percutaneous vs surgical revascularization. The utilization of DES may have out-paced the clinical trial evidence of efficacy and safety, but practicing cardiologists appear to have adopted this innovation, particularly for high-risk patients. Patients with ESRD are among several subgroups of patients in whom DES utilization appears promising, although there is no definitive randomized clinical trial evidence to support this practice. This article reviews the data available in the literature on prevalence of CAD and its impact on ESRD patients, the difficulties of referring these patients for coronary revascularization, and the potential role of adding DES to the available therapeutic options.

Extracardiac vascular disease and effectiveness of sustained clopidogrel treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of long term treatment with clopidogrel of patients with extracardiac vascular disease (ECVD) (a history of either peripheral arterial disease or cerebrovascular disease). DESIGN: Subgroup analysis of a prospective randomised clinical trial. SETTING: The CREDO (clopidogrel for the reduction of events during observation) trial was a randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trial conducted at 99 centres in North America from June 1999 through April 2001. PATIENTS: 2116 patients who were to undergo elective coronary intervention or were deemed at high likelihood of undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention were enrolled in the CREDO trial. The current study sample consisted of 272 patients with ECVD. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: One year incidence of the composite of death, myocardial infarction, or stroke in the intent to treat population. RESULTS: Patients with ECVD had a more than twofold greater relative risk reduction with clopidogrel for the primary end point compared with patients without ECVD (47.9%, 95% confidence interval (CI) -4.2% to 73.9%, v 18.2%, 95% CI -10.5 % to 39.5%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Longer term clopidogrel treatment provides added protection against thrombotic events throughout the arterial vasculature, not limited to the coronary arteries, and may be especially effective for patients with more diffuse atherosclerosis such as ECVD.

Dual antiplatelet therapy with clopidogrel and aspirin after carotid artery stenting.

BACKGROUND: Carotid artery stenting is being used as an alternative to carotid endarterectomy, both within the context of clinical trials and in non-surgical candidates. Though stenting is known to activate platelets, the role of antithrombotic therapy in carotid stenting has not been fully characterized. METHODS AND RESULTS: Consecutive patients (n = 162) were followed in a single-center carotid stent registry. The cumulative rate of 30-day death, stroke, transient ischemic attack and myocardial infarction in those patients receiving a thienopyridine was determined, as were rates of stent thrombosis and intracranial hemorrhage. The mean age of the patients was 70.3 years and there was an extremely high prevalence of cardiovascular comorbidities, including 40% with unstable angina. The carotid lesion was symptomatic in 59% of patients. The average pre-treatment stenosis was 83%. The cumulative 30-day rate of death, stroke, transient ischemic attack and myocardial infarction was 5.6%. Specifically, in the patients who received ticlopidine (n = 23), the rate was 13%, versus 4.3% in the patients who received clopidogrel (n = 139) (p = 0.01). In this series, there were no cases of stent thrombosis and 1 intracranial hemorrhage. CONCLUSION: Dual antiplatelet therapy with clopidogrel plus aspirin in patients receiving carotid artery stents is associated with a low rate of ischemic events. Furthermore, clopidogrel appears superior to ticlopidine. Thus, our findings lend support to the dual antiplatelet strategy of clopidogrel plus aspirin for patients undergoing carotid artery stenting.

Self-expanding stents for carotid interventions: comparison of nitinol versus stainless-steel stents.

BACKGROUND: Angioplasty and stenting are becoming increasingly accepted techniques for the treatment of carotid stenosis. However, the optimal stent for carotid intervention is not known. METHODS: We compared the short- and intermediate-term results of carotid stenting using either nitinol or stainless-steel self-expanding stents in 178 high surgical risk patients undergoing carotid stenting at our institution. Of these 178 patients, eighty-nine received stainless-steel stents and 89 received nitinol stents. The groups were similar with respect to age, gender, diabetes, hypertension, left ventricular function, and symptom status. There were more patients with contralateral carotid occlusion in the nitinol stent group. Independent neurological evaluation was performed in all patients pre- and post-carotid stenting. RESULTS: At 6 months, there was a similar incidence of stroke (3.3% versus 2.2%) in the stainless-steel group and nitinol stent group, respectively. There was higher 6-month mortality noted in the stainless-steel stent group, but there were no neurological deaths in either group. CONCLUSIONS: In a single-center patient cohort with similar baseline characteristics, patients receiving nitinol stents and stainless-steel stents had similar neurological outcomes.

Initial experience of platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibition with abciximab during carotid stenting: a safe and effective adjunctive therapy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Abciximab has been shown to decrease periprocedural ischemic complications after coronary intervention. However, the adjunctive use of abciximab in carotid stenting has not been adequately studied. We sought to determine the efficacy and safety of abciximab in carotid stenting. METHODS: Carotid stenting was performed in 151 consecutive patients determined to be at high surgical risk by a vascular surgeon. Of these, 128 consecutive patients received adjuvant therapy with abciximab (0.25 mg/kg bolus before the lesion was crossed with guidewire and 0.125 micro. kg(-1). min(-1) infusion for 12 hours.). A heparin bolus of 50 U/kg was given, and activated clotting time was maintained between 250 to 300 seconds. All patients received aspirin and thienopyridine. Procedural and 30-day outcomes were compared between the control (n=23) and abciximab (n=128) groups. RESULTS: The 2 groups had similar baseline characteristics. Procedural events were more frequent in the control group (8%; 1 major stroke and 1 neurological death) compared with the abciximab group (1.6%; 1 minor stroke and 1 retinal infarction; P=0.05). On 30-day follow-up, 1 patient presented with delayed intracranial hemorrhage in the abciximab group. There were no other major bleeding complications. CONCLUSIONS: Adjunctive use of abciximab for carotid stenting is safe with no increase in the risk of intracranial hemorrhage. This adjunctive therapy with potent glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibition may help to reduce periprocedural adverse events in patients undergoing carotid stenting.

Lumen loss in transplant coronary artery disease is a biphasic process involving early intimal thickening and late constrictive remodeling: results from a 5-year serial intravascular ultrasound study.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease is the major cause of late cardiac allograft failure. However, few data exist regarding the natural history of changes in intimal and external elastic membrane (EEM) areas after heart transplantation. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 38 transplant recipients, serial intravascular ultrasound examinations were performed 3.7+/-2.2 weeks after transplantation and annually thereafter for 5 years. In 59 coronary arteries, we compared 135 matched segments among serial studies. In each segment, intravascular ultrasound images were digitized at 1-mm intervals, and mean values of EEM and lumen and intimal areas were analyzed. In the first year after transplantation, the intimal area increased significantly from 1.8+/-1.6 to 3.0+/-2.1 mm(2) (P<0.001). Subsequently, the annual increase in intimal area decreased. EEM area did not change during the first year; however, between years 1 and 3, significant expansion of EEM area occurred (15.4+/-4.6 to 17.2+/-5.4 mm(2), P<0.001). Thereafter, EEM area decreased significantly from 17.2+/-5.4 mm(2) (year 3) to 15.1+/-4.9 mm(2) (year 5, P=0.01). Different mechanisms of lumen loss were observed during 2 phases after transplantation: early lumen loss primarily caused by intimal thickening and late lumen loss caused by EEM area constriction. CONCLUSIONS: This serial ultrasound study revealed that most of the intimal thickening occurred during the first year after heart transplantation. Changes in the EEM area showed a biphasic response, consisting of early expansion and late constriction. Thus, different mechanisms of lumen loss were observed during the early and late phases after transplantation.

Arterial remodeling and coronary artery disease: the concept of "dilated" versus "obstructive" coronary atherosclerosis.

Traditionally, the development of coronary artery disease (CAD) was described as a gradual growth of plaques within the intima of the vessel. The outer boundaries of the intima, the media and the external elastic membrane (EEM), were thought to be fixed in size. In this model plaque growth would always lead to luminal narrowing and the number and severity of angiographic stenoses would reflect the extent of coronary disease. However, histologic studies demonstrated that certain plaques do not reduce luminal size, presumably because of expansion of the media and EEM during atheroma development. This phenomenon of "arterial remodeling" was confirmed in necropsy specimens of human coronary arteries. More recently, the development of contemporary imaging technology, particularly intravascular ultrasound, has allowed the study of arterial remodeling in vivo. These new imaging modalities have confirmed that plaque progression and regression are not closely related to luminal size. In this review, we will analyze the role of remodeling in the progression and regression of native CAD, as well as its impact on restenosis after coronary intervention.

Impact of lipid abnormalities in development and progression of transplant coronary disease: a serial intravascular ultrasound study.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine the role of conventional atherosclerosis risk factors in the development and progression of transplant coronary artery disease (CAD) using serial intravascular ultrasound imaging. BACKGROUND: Transplant artery disease is a combination of allograft vasculopathy and donor atherosclerosis. The clinical determinants for each of these disease processes are not well characterized. Intravascular ultrasound imaging is the most sensitive tool to serially study these processes. METHODS: Baseline intravascular ultrasound imaging was performed 0.9 +/- 0.5 months after transplantation to identify donor atherosclerosis. Follow-up imaging was performed at 1.0 +/- 0.07 year to evaluate progression of donor atherosclerosis and development of transplant vasculopathy. Conventional risk factors for CAD included recipient age, gender, smoking history, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. RESULTS: Donor-transmitted atherosclerosis was present in 36 patients (39%). At follow-up, progression of donor lesions was seen in 15 patients (42%) and 42 patients (45%) developed transplant vasculopathy, leaving 35 patients (38%) without any disease. There was no difference in any conventional risk factors in patients with and without allograft vasculopathy. However, the severity of allograft vasculopathy was associated with a larger increase in low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol from baseline (p = 0.02). High one-year posttransplant serum triglyceride level and pretransplant body mass index were the only significant predictors (p = 0.03) for progression of donor atherosclerosis. CONCLUSIONS: Conventional atherosclerosis risk factors do not predict development of allograft vasculopathy, but greater change in serum LDL cholesterol level during the first year after transplant is associated with more severe vasculopathy. Therefore, maintenance of LDL cholesterol as close to pretransplant values as possible may help to limit the rate of progression of acquired allograft vasculopathy.

Percutaneous intervention for symptomatic vertebral artery stenosis using coronary stents.

BACKGROUND: There is very limited experience with percutaneous treatment of symptomatic vertebral artery disease. Angioplasty and stenting for vertebral artery stenosis are still evolving and have generally been performed for asymptomatic disease. We performed vertebral artery stenting in 12 patients with vertebrobasilar transient ischemic attacks and present our short- and intermediate-term results. METHODS: A total of 12 lesions affecting the vertebral artery were treated by coronary stent placement. The mean age was 72 +/- 8 years and 83% were males (10 males, 2 females). Baseline characteristics included hypertension (11/12); hypercholesterolemia (8/12); coronary artery disease (8/12); and diabetes (5/12). Mean lesion length was 8.6 +/- 2.7 mm, mean calipered stenosis was 78 +/- 8%, and mean arterial diameter was 4.1 +/- 0.3 mm. All patients were symptomatic, fulfilling our criteria for vertebral artery angioplasty. All patients were followed for at least 6 months after treatment. RESULTS: All 12 lesions were successfully stented, with a mean residual stenosis of 11 +/- 6%. Clinical follow-up showed resolution or improvement of symptoms in all patients. One patient had symptomatic restenosis seven months after the initial procedure requiring repeat angioplasty. CONCLUSIONS: Stent placement for symptomatic stenosis involving the vertebral artery is safe and effective for alleviating symptoms of vertebrobasilar ischemia. Coronary stents appear to be well suited to treat atherosclerotic lesions of the vertebral artery.

Adventitial hematoma triggering coronary spasm during percutaneous coronary intervention.

During percutaneous coronary intervention of the left anterior descending coronary artery, a lumen narrowing was observed proximal to the stent just deployed. Intravascular ultrasound showed a hematoma localized outside the trilaminar wall structure in absence of a dissection flap or evidence of compression of the lumen. The luminal narrowing resolved after intracoronary administration of vasodilators. This finding is compatible with a coronary spasm triggered by an adventitial hematoma following stent deployment.

High prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis in asymptomatic teenagers and young adults: evidence from intravascular ultrasound.

BACKGROUND: Most of our knowledge about atherosclerosis at young ages is derived from necropsy studies, which have inherent limitations. Detailed, in vivo data on atherosclerosis in young individuals are limited. Intravascular ultrasonography provides a unique opportunity for in vivo characterization of early atherosclerosis in a clinically relevant context. METHODS AND RESULTS: Intravascular ultrasound was performed in 262 heart transplant recipients 30.9+/-13.2 days after transplantation to investigate coronary arteries in young asymptomatic subjects. The donor population consisted of 146 men and 116 women (mean age of 33.4+/-13.2 years). Extensive imaging of all possible (including distal) coronary segments was performed. Sites with the greatest and least intimal thickness in each CASS segment were measured in multiple coronary arteries. Sites with intimal thickness >/=0.5 mm were defined as atherosclerotic. A total of 2014 sites within 1477 segments in 574 coronary arteries (2.2 arteries per person) were analyzed. An atherosclerotic lesion was present in 136 patients, or 51.9%. The prevalence of atherosclerosis varied from 17% in individuals <20 years old to 85% in subjects >/=50 years old. In subjects with atherosclerosis, intimal thickness and area stenosis averaged 1.08+/-0.48 mm and 32.7+/-15.9%, respectively. For all age groups, the average intimal thickness was greater in men than women, although the prevalence of atherosclerosis was similar (52% in men and 51.7% in women). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that coronary atherosclerosis begins at a young age and that lesions are present in 1 of 6 teenagers. These findings suggest the need for intensive efforts at coronary disease prevention in young adults.

Prognostic value of absolute versus relative measures of the procedural result after successful coronary stenting: importance of vessel size in predicting long-term freedom from target vessel revascularization.

BACKGROUND: The procedural result is a major determinant of the incidence of 6-month target vessel revascularization (TVR) after successful coronary stenting. However, the prognostic implications of the different measures of the procedural result or procedural end points have not been directly compared. In this study, we sought to assess and compare the impact of achieving different procedural end points on the long-term (2-year) incidence of TVR. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 234 patients in whom 1 or 2 stents were successfully deployed and ultrasound imaging performed after angiographic optimization. End points included a visually estimated angiographic residual stenosis <10% and ultrasound stent-to-mean reference lumen area > or = 80%. After 2 years, TVR was required in 48 (20.5%) patients. Qualitative predictors of TVR were vein graft lesions, 3-vessel disease, and baseline TIMI flow grade < 3. Quantitatively, reference diameter by quantitative coronary angiography (QCA), final minimum lumen diameter (MLD) by QCA, and in-stent minimum lumen area (MLA) by ultrasound were predictive of TVR. Stent-to-reference ratios were not significantly predictive of TVR. By multivariable analysis, vein graft location and MLA by ultrasound were the only significant predictors of TVR (relative risk, 2.9 [1.5, 5.4] and 0.72 [0.6, 0.9], respectively). Receiver operator curves for MLD by QCA and MLA by ultrasound were similar in predicting TVR. Neither was significantly superior to reference vessel diameter. CONCLUSIONS: Commonly used angiographic and ultrasound stent-to-reference ratios do not predict the incidence of TVR. Absolute measures of the lumen size (MLA by ultrasound and MLD by QCA) were the most important quantitative predictors of TVR within 2 years. This emphasizes the role of the vessel size as the limiting factor in determining the long-term outcome of coronary stenting.

Pronounced benefit of coronary stenting and adjunctive platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibition in complex atherosclerotic lesions.

BACKGROUND: Previous trials testing stents compared with balloon angioplasty excluded patients with complex lesions and did not assess the effect of adjunctive platelet IIb/IIIa inhibition. This analysis sought to assess the effect of stenting and abciximab specifically for patients with complex lesions. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients with complex lesions (long, tandem, severely calcified, restenotic, thrombotic, or ostial; total occlusions; bifurcations; saphenous vein grafts; and multivessel interventions) from the Evaluation of PTCA to Improve Long-Term Outcome by c7E3 GP IIb/IIIa Receptor Blockade (EPILOG) and the Evaluation of Platelet IIb/IIIa Inhibitor for Stenting (EPISTENT) trials were included in the analysis. The 1-year combined death or myocardial infarction rates in the 4 treatment groups were as follows: balloon angioplasty/placebo, 14.2%; stent/placebo, 15.8%; balloon angioplasty/abciximab, 7.6%; and stent/abciximab, 8.0% (P<0.001). Death rates were 3.2%, 3.1%, 2.1%, and 0.5%, respectively (P=0.03). The incidence of target vessel revascularization at 1 year was 30.5%, 18.0%, 24.4%, and 19.7% in the 4 groups, respectively (P<0.001). After adjustment for baseline differences, multivariate analysis demonstrated that the rate of death or myocardial infarction was independently reduced by balloon angioplasty/abciximab (hazard ratio, 0.51; P<0.001) and stent/abciximab (hazard ratio, 0.60; P=0.02) but was not affected by the use of stents alone. Conversely, target vessel revascularization was reduced by stent/placebo (hazard ratio, 0.53; P<0.001), stent/abciximab (hazard ratio, 0.58; P<0.001), and balloon angioplasty/abciximab (hazard ratio, 0.74; P=0.006) compared with balloon angioplasty/placebo, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of stenting and abciximab during percutaneous coronary interventions for patients with angiographically complex lesions confers additive long-term benefit with respect to death, myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization.

Intravascular ultrasound imaging after cardiac transplantation: advantage of multi-vessel imaging.

BACKGROUND: Intravascular ultrasound is a sensitive tool to study transplant vasculopathy. However, there is no consensus regarding the methodology for imaging protocol. The impact of single versus multiple epicardial vessel imaging in determining the prevalence of transplant vasculopathy has not been determined. This study examines the benefit of three-vessel imaging versus one-vessel imaging in detecting transplant vasculopathy. METHODS AND RESULTS: One hundred eleven transplant recipients with intravascular ultrasound imaging at baseline (within 2 months of transplantation) were studied: 107 at 1-year, 53 at 2-year and 41 at 3-year follow-up. A total of 222 arteries, 519 segments and 772 sites were analyzed (94 LAD, 65 LCX and 65 RCA). The prevalence of transplant vasculopathy lesions was 27%, 41% and 58% at 1 year, 39%, 55% and 71% at 2 years and 39%, 55% and 74% at 3 years for patients with one-, two- and three-vessel imaging, respectively. Single- or two-vessel disease was present in 23% (7) and 32% (10) patients with three-vessel imaging, leading to the potential mislabeling of these 17 (55%) patients as "disease free" if they underwent only single-vessel imaging. CONCLUSIONS: Multivessel imaging is more sensitive in detecting the transplant vasculopathy lesions compared to single-vessel imaging. This important variable should be considered when designing and interpreting trials utilizing intravascular imaging derived end-point.

Extent and direction of arterial remodeling in stable versus unstable coronary syndromes : an intravascular ultrasound study.

BACKGROUND: The morphological characteristics of coronary plaques in patients with stable versus unstable coronary syndromes have been described in vivo with intravascular ultrasound, but the relationship between arterial remodeling and clinical presentation is not well known. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 85 patients with unstable and 46 patients with stable coronary syndromes using intravascular ultrasound before coronary intervention. The lesion site and a proximal reference site were analyzed. The remodeling ratio (RR) was defined as the ratio of the external elastic membrane (EEM) area at the lesion to that at the proximal reference site. Positive remodeling was defined as an RR >1.05 and negative remodeling as an RR <0.95. Plaque area (13.9+/-5.5 versus 11.1+/-4.8 mm(2); P=0.005), EEM area (16.1+/-6.2 versus 13.0+/-4.8 mm(2); P=0. 004), and the RR (1.06+/-0.2 versus 0.94+/-0.2; P=0.008) were significantly greater at target lesions in patients with unstable syndromes than in patients with stable syndromes. Positive remodeling was more frequent in unstable than in stable lesions (51. 8% versus 19.6%), whereas negative remodeling was more frequent in stable lesions (56.5% versus 31.8%) (P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Positive remodeling and larger plaque areas were associated with unstable clinical presentation, whereas negative remodeling was more common in patients with stable clinical presentation. This association between the extent of remodeling and clinical presentation may reflect a greater tendency of plaques with positive remodeling to cause unstable coronary syndromes.

Application of intravascular ultrasound imaging in understanding and guiding percutaneous therapy for atherosclerotic coronary disease.

Intravascular ultrasound imaging is a relatively new imaging modality that uses miniaturized ultrasound transducers, which are mounted on catheter tips and introduced into the vessel lumen to provide cross-sectional images of the vascular structure in real time. It has gained popularity rapidly among interventional cardiologists because of its ability to overcome many limitations of angiography, especially when dealing with complex anatomy and new devices for coronary revascularization. The tomographic perspective and the ability to elicit the detailed structure of the arterial wall have allowed the use of intravascular ultrasound to better understand the coronary atherosclerotic and allograft vasculopathy disease processes. The response of lesions to various interventional procedures also has been studied in detail. This review discusses the rationale, technique, methods of interpretation, and the current knowledge in the field of intravascular ultrasound imaging.