Initial experience with transradial access for carotid artery stenting.

We report our experience using transradial access (TRA) for carotid artery stenting (CAS). Eighty-eight patients underwent CAS using a nonfemoral approach, 79 of them by TRA. Carotid artery stenting was performed using standard techniques with a long hydrophilic sheath.

Latin American randomized trial of balloon angioplasty versus coronary stenting in diabetic patients with small vessel reference size (Latin American Small Vessel [LASMAL II] Trial): immediate and long-term results.

Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) in diabetic patients with small reference diameter vessels remain an important challenge in interventional cardiology because it is associated with increased complications and restenosis rates. Plain old balloon angioplasty (POBA) has limited efficacy in patients with lesions in small vessels. Although coronary stenting (stent) has been demonstrated to improve both immediate and long-term results after coronary intervention, small reference diameter is a strong predictor of restenosis after stent implantation.

Latin American randomized trial of balloon angioplasty vs coronary stenting for small vessels (LASMAL): immediate and long-term results.

Purpose: To assess the potential role of coronary stent to improved acute success and reduce late restenosis in lesions with reference diameter <2.9 mm using a bare metal stent specifically designed for small coronary vessels. There is controversy on the results among previous studies comparing bare metal stent implantation with conventional balloon percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA).

Multicenter randomized comparison of direct vs. conventional stenting: the DIRECTO trial.

With conventional stenting, predilatation frequently induces dissections that require deploying stents longer than originally planned. To assess whether direct stenting is safe and may prevent dissections and reduce the length of stents implanted, we conducted a randomized study comparing direct (n = 73) and conventional (n = 78) stenting. Direct stenting was successful in 89% of cases, 11% crossed over to predilation without complications.

Percutaneous transluminal therapeutic ultrasound for high-risk thrombus-containing lesions in native coronary arteries.

We assessed the short-term outcome of percutaneous coronary ultrasound thrombolysis (CUT) for high-risk thrombus-containing lesions in native coronaries in the setting of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Data were prospectively collected in a multicenter (n = 32) registry of consecutive ACS patients. The study population (n = 126) had mostly (84%) totally occluded vessels.