Prognostic value of aortic valve area normalized to body size in native aortic stenosis.

Introduction And Objectives: Although guidelines recommend the use of a cutoff value of 0.60 cm/m for aortic valve area (AVA) normalized to body surface area (BSA) for severe aortic stenosis, there is little evidence of its prognostic value. Our aim was to test the value of AVA normalized to body size for outcome prediction in aortic stenosis.

Patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation on vitamin k antagonists or direct-acting oral anticoagulants: patients profile and long-term follow up outcomes.

Introduction: The arrival of direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) has led to a change in the management of non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) in recent years. The objectives of this study are to determine the level of therapeutic control of anticoagulation with vitamin K antagonists (VKA) and its possible involvement in major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and to evaluate differences between the group on VKA with respect to the group on DOACs.

Patients And Methods: Prospective cohort study that included consecutive patients diagnosed with NVAF in Cardiology Consultations with a clinical follow-up of 18 months.

Angiographically Based Direct Implantation of the Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold in Non-ST Segment Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome: Feasibility and Outcome.

Background: Direct implantation of metallic drug-eluting stents is recommended for lesions with high thrombotic burden; however, this can't be applied to bioresorbable scaffold for which adequate lesion preparation is recommended.

Aim: We aimed at assessing the feasibility and safety of direct scaffold implantation based only on angiographic assessment in patients presented with non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome.

Methods: The study was a retrospective two-centre study conducted over patients diagnosed with NSTE-ACS presented to cardiology department at Juan Ramon Hospital, Spain and critical care department, Cairo University in the period between February 2016 to May 2017.

Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection and Hypothyroidism.

Introduction And Objectives: Thyroid hormone affects the metabolism of all tissues in the body. The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence and implications of thyroid disorders in a cohort of consecutive patients with spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD).

Methods: A total of 73 patients with SCAD were analyzed.

Bioresorbable Scaffolds in Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection: Long-Term Follow-Up in 4 Patients.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is a rare condition, and diagnosis and treatment are challenging among patients who present with acute coronary syndrome. Typically, the condition affects young females who have no underlying atherosclerotic disease. To date, few cases of bioresorbable scaffold implantation for the treatment of spontaneous coronary artery dissection have been reported.

Abluminal Neointimal Healing by Optical Coherence Tomography Assessment After Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation on Organized Recanalized Thrombus.

Six-month PCI follow-up results of left anterior descending (LAD) and circumflex (CX) drug-eluting stent implantation are presented. Angiography showed patent LAD and CX stents. However, OCT revealed almost all abluminal cavities were completely filled, which the authors surmise was due to a neointimal healing process.

Trapping as retrieval technique to resolve a ruptured and entrapped coronary balloon catheter.

A 69 year old male, with a previous percutaneous revascularization of the mid-circumflex with a bare metal stent in 2007 was admitted to our centre for unstable angina. The angiography showed a severely calcified coronary tree with a functionally severe plaque on the proximal left anterior descending artery (LAD) and a critical focal lesion on the proximal right coronary artery. After a high pressure predilation on the proximal LAD, the balloon ruptured causing a retrograde LAD-left main (LM) dissection that was rapidly sealed with three overlapping zotarolimus-eluting stents from medial LAD to LM.

Utility of 3D-OCT Imaging With Angiographic Co-Registration in Acute Coronary Syndrome With Normal or Near-Normal Coronary Arteries.

The OPTIS integrated system (St. Jude Medical) is a new technology allowing the online co-registration of optical coherence tomography (OCT) images with the angiogram in the catheterization laboratory. Additionally, 3D navigation can be performed.

Detection of spontaneous coronary artery spasm with optical coherence tomography in a patient with acute coronary syndrome.

We present 2 illustrative cases of acute coronary syndrome and spontaneous coronary artery spasm evaluated by optical coherence tomography. Different spasm patterns were showed by optical coherence tomography (OCT), according to whether there were underlying atherosclerotic plaques or not.

Radial/Ulnar angioplasty in selected patients undergoing elective angiography or PCI using complex forearm approach.

Background: Angioplasty on the radial artery have been performed with good success rates in patients with critical hand ischemia. We sought to assess the feasibility and safety of radial angioplasty on complex radial access in patients undergoing coronary angiography.

Methods/material: A prospective series of procedures with complex radial/ulnar access to which radial-ulnar angioplasty (RU-A) was performed.

Multi-parametric quantification of tricuspid regurgitation using cardiovascular magnetic resonance: A comparison to echocardiography.

Background: Velocity-encoding is used to quantify tricuspid regurgitation (TR) by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), but requires additional dedicated imaging. We hypothesized that size and signal intensity (SI) of the cross-sectional TR jet area in the right atrium in short-axis steady-state free-precession images could be used to assess TR severity.

Methods: We studied 61 patients with TR, who underwent CMR and echocardiography within 24h.

The Absorb Limits.

A patient presented with an inferior non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction and a tight lesion on the distal right coronary artery. After stent implantation, a large scaffold malapposition was observed by optical coherence tomography. This case emphasizes the importance of not expanding a bioresorbable vascular scaffold more than 0.

Semi-automated echocardiographic quantification of right ventricular size and function.

Although parameters of right ventricular (RV) size and function are clinically important, echocardiographic assessment of this chamber is complex. Existing quantitative approaches rely on manual measurements performed on different images, and are thus time-consuming. Consequently, in clinical practice, qualitative assessment is usually used instead.