Long-term results of a sirolimus-eluting stent with biodegradable polymer (RAPSTROM™) in de novo coronary stenoses.

Objectives: To report long-term results of a novel sirolimus-eluting stent with biodegradable polymer BACKGROUND: Newer generation drug-eluting stents are characterized by thin struts, improved platform design and highly biocompatible polymer carrying the antiproliferative drug. The RapstromTM stent, sharing these features, showed promising outcomes in preclinical models and in a first-in-man trial.

Methods: The present study is a multicenter, non-randomized post-market registry, including patients with de novo coronary artery disease treated with implantation of one or more Rapstrom stents.

The role of 18F fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG-PET) in children with rheumatic carditis and chronic rheumatic heart disease.

Background: We report the use of positron emission tomography (PET) using 18F-FDG for the diagnosis of carditis in children with rheumatic heart disease (RHD).

Material And Methods: Thirty-six children aged 6-17 years (seventeen males and nineteen females) with isolated rheumatic significant mitral regurgitation (MR) underwent FDG-PET scanning of the heart after fasting for 6 h within a period of 2 years. They were divided into two groups based on Jones criteria - acute rheumatic carditis and chronic RHD.