Takotsubo cardiomyopathy after microwave ablation for metastatic liver lesions.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCMP) is characterized by transient and reversible left ventricular regional wall motion abnormalities triggered by acute and intense emotional or physical stress. We present a case of a 79 year old woman with a hypertensive crisis after microwave ablation (MWA) for metastatic liver lesions. Initial evaluation suggested an acute coronary syndrome with an ST segment elevation and with elevated serum troponin T.

Anomalous right coronary artery in a middle-aged patient: A case report and review of the literature.

Background: An anomalous right coronary artery originating from the left sinus of Valsalva is a rare, but often incidental, finding in middle-aged to elderly people. Prevalence is difficult to define, as well as determining potential harmful hemodynamic consequences. Moreover, the optimal treatment remains debatable.

Loss and retrieval of a coronary angioplasty stent balloon.

A case is presented in which a breakage of the coronary stent delivery catheter occurred as retrieval of the stent balloon was attempted after stent implantation. The broken distal balloon shaft with its stuck balloon was retrieved by controlled pulling on the guiding catheter in which a new balloon was inflated, thus trapping the distal shaft. The case underscores the importance of adequate lesion assessment and preparation.

In-hospital outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with chronic total occlusion: insights from the ERCTO (European Registry of Chronic Total Occlusion) registry.

Aims: In comparison with non-occlusive lesions, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of chronic total occlusions (CTO) represents a greater challenge for the interventionalist, due to lower procedural success rates, relatively higher incidence of procedural complications and the increased rate of restenosis. The European Registry of Chronic Total Occlusion (ERCTO) was created with the goal of evaluating the real impact of CTO PCI in the European context, trying to analyse the rates of procedural success, technical information from the CTO procedures and patient outcome.

Methods And Results: Data collection was carried out in 16 centres across Europe, starting from the beginning of January 2008.

Early- and long-term intravascular ultrasound and angiographic findings after bioabsorbable magnesium stent implantation in human coronary arteries.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the degradation rate and long-term vascular responses to the absorbable metal stent (AMS).

Background: The AMS demonstrated feasibility and safety at 4 months in human coronary arteries.

Methods: The PROGRESS-AMS (Clinical Performance and Angiographic Results of Coronary Stenting) was a prospective, multicenter clinical trial of 63 patients with coronary artery disease who underwent AMS implantation.

Safety of direct stenting with the Endeavor stent: results of the Endeavor II continued access registry.

Aims: The safety and efficacy of direct stenting with the Endeavor stent is unknown. The acute and 9 month outcome after direct stenting vs. predilatation was tested in a multicentre, prospective, single-arm study.

Relative lack of depressive cognitions in post-myocardial infarction depression.

Background: Depression has been associated with adverse clinical events in myocardial infarction (MI) patients, but many questions about the nature of post-MI depression remain unanswered. We examined whether depressive cognitions characteristic of depression in psychiatric patients are also present in post-MI patients with major depression (MD).

Methods: Non-depressed (n=40) and depressed (n=40) post-MI patients, and psychiatric outpatients (n=40) treated for clinical depression, matched on age and sex, were interviewed using a structured clinical interview to diagnose DSM-IV MD.

One-year clinical outcome of various doses and pharmacokinetic release formulations of paclitaxel eluted from an erodable polymer - Insight in the Paclitaxel In-Stent Controlled Elution Study (PISCES).

Aims: The one year clinical benefit of various doses and release durations of paclitaxel eluted from an erodable polymer has not been evaluated so far.

Methods And Results: Conor paclitaxel-eluting stents have intra-stent wells in which drug and polymer are deposited. Stents with six different release formulations (dose: 10 microg or 30 microg, duration: 5, 10 or 30 days, direction: mural or bidirectional) were implanted in 6 patient cohorts.

The effect of variable dose and release kinetics on neointimal hyperplasia using a novel paclitaxel-eluting stent platform: the Paclitaxel In-Stent Controlled Elution Study (PISCES).

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of variable dose and release kinetics of paclitaxel on neointimal hyperplasia.

Background: Conventional paclitaxel-eluting stents use a durable polymer coating as a vehicle for drug delivery. The Conor stent (Conor Medsystems, Menlo Park, California) with intra-strut wells and erodable polymer is specifically designed for drug delivery with programmable pharmacokinetics.

Percutaneous coronary intervention or bypass surgery in multivessel disease? A tailored approach based on coronary pressure measurement.

The optimal revascularization strategy, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), for patients with multivessel coronary artery disease (MVD) remains controversial. The aim of the present study was to compare the long-term outcomes after selective PCI of only hemodynamically significant lesions (fractional flow reserve, or FFR < 0.75) to CABG of all stenoses in patients with MVD.

Clinical and angiographic outcomes after Tsunami coronary stent placement.

Study Aim: The aim of this study was to determine six months restenosis rate measured by off-line quantitative coronary angiography, and to assess the efficacy and safety of newly developed six cells Tsunami stent system for the treatment of symptomatic, de novo, native coronary artery lesions.

Study Design And Methods: Between January and August 2001, 100 patients with 120 lesions were included at four clinical sites in this prospective, non-randomized, single arm study. In 35% of the patients two or more stents were implanted, 15% of the lesions were stented with more than one stent and 46% of the lesions were in small vessels ( View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Randomized comparison of balloon angioplasty versus silicon carbon-coated stent implantation for de novo lesions in small coronary arteries.

The objectives of this study were to compare the short- and long-term clinical and angiographic outcomes of conventional balloon angioplasty versus elective silicon carbide-coated stent implantation in de novo lesions in small coronary arteries (<3.0 mm). Angioplasty of small coronary arteries is associated with high restenosis rates.

Randomized study to compare balloon angioplasty and elective stent implantation in venous bypass grafts: the Venestent study.

The aim of the study was to compare acute and long-term angiographic and clinical outcome of balloon angioplasty and elective stenting in de novo lesions in the body of a saphenous vein graft (SVG). A total of 150 patients, with de novo lesions in SVG, were randomly assigned to balloon angioplasty or elective Wiktor I stent implantation. The angiographic restenosis rate at 6-month follow-up was 32.

Guidelines for indications for coronary revascularization in The Netherlands.

In 1996 the Minister of Public Health, Welfare and Sports in The Netherlands published a 'Planning Decree Special Interventions in the Heart'. She requested from the professional organizations guidelines for the indications for interventions in the heart. A working group was formed with representatives from the Dutch professional organizations for cardiology and thoracic surgery, to address this issue for patients with coronary artery disease.

Imaging of left main trauma during diagnostic cardiac catheterization with intravascular ultrasound.

In this case report the occurrence of a catheter-induced coronary artery dissection is described. In our patient, angiography showed a mushroom-shaped exudate above the left main coronary artery. Intravascular ultrasound revealed a circular dissection with a huge false lumen connected to the true lumen by a small intimal tear.

Initial results and long-term clinical follow-up of an amorphous hydrogenated silicon-carbide-coated stent in daily practice.

The hemocompatibility and biocompatibility of a stent are determined by the physical and electrochemical properties of the stent surface. The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility, safety and efficacy of implantation of a stent coated with silicon carbide. Baseline characteristics were collected prospectively.

Direct coronary stenting through left and right internal mammary artery grafts.

We describe a case of successful direct coronary stenting of two tight lesions, one at the site of the left internal mammary artery (LIMA) graft anastomosis with left anterior descending coronary artery and the other at the site of the anastomosis between the right internal mammary artery (RIMA) graft and the right coronary artery. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of successful direct stent implantation through the LIMA and RIMA.

Coronary pressure and FFR predict long-term outcome after PTCA.

Although coronary stents have been the most important improvement in percutaneous coronary interventions in the last 10 years, it is well known to interventionalists that many patients after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) have a favourable outcome without stenting. Coronary angiography, however, is not sensitive enough to identify those particular patients and it has been suggested that a combination of angiographic and functional criteria would be more suitable to distinguish patients with a low restenosis chance after plain balloon angioplasty. In the present study, the authors investigated the value of coronary pressure measurement for conditional stenting in 85 patients.