Optical coherence tomography versus intravascular ultrasound for culprit lesion assessment in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Introduction: In patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) the implanted stent may not fully cover the whole intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-derived thin-cap fibroatheroma (TCFA) related to the culprit lesion (CL).

Aim: Whether this phenomenon is more pronounced when optical coherence tomography (OCT) assessment of the CL is performed is not known.

Material And Methods: Thus, we aimed to assess CLs in 40 patients with AMI treated with PCI, using VH (virtual histology)-IVUS and OCT before and after intervention.

Radiofrequency-intravascular ultrasound assessment of lesion coverage after angiography-guided emergent percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction.

Using radiofrequency-intravascular ultrasound (VH-IVUS), we have previously demonstrated that in 50% of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention with optimal angiographic result, the stent does not fully cover the whole VH-IVUS-derived thin-cap fibroatheroma (VH-TCFA) related to the culprit lesion. Presently, we set out to extend these findings to 20 patients with non-STEMI with Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction flow 3 in the infarct-related artery before intervention who were then treated with angiography-guided direct stent implantation. The lesion was imaged with VH-IVUS before and after intervention, but the results were blinded to the operator.

Rescue removal of disrupted balloon catheter from right coronary artery and aortic arch.

We present the case of a 70-year-old female patient diagnosed with unstable angina, who was qualified to coronarography in a peripheral interventional cardiology department. Critical stenosis of right posterior descending artery was found. During percutaneous coronary intervention, after-stent balloon catheter interrupted and was left partially in the right coronary artery sticking out of the aortic arch.

Virtual histology-intravascular ultrasound assessment of lesion coverage after angiographically-guided stent implantation in patients with ST Elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

An occlusion or severe stenosis (angiographic culprit lesion) of the infarct-related artery is frequently located at the site of the maximum thrombus burden, whereas the origin of the plaque rupture (the true culprit) can be situated proximal or distal to it. The aim of this study was to examine stent coverage of true culprit lesions in 20 patients who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention and had Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) grade 3 flow restored in the infarct-related artery by angiographically guided direct stenting. Images of lesions were obtained using virtual histology-intravascular ultrasound before and after intervention (blinded to the operator).

Assessment of culprit plaque temperature by intracoronary thermography appears inconclusive in patients with acute coronary syndromes.

Objective: Safety and feasibility evaluation of intracoronary temperature measurements in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) using a catheter based thermography system.

Methods And Results: Thermography was performed in 40 patients with ACS. A 3.

Angiographic and clinical outcome after percutaneous coronary interventions following combined fibrinolytic therapy in acute myocardial infarction.

Introduction: Combined therapy with fibrinolytic agent and platelet GPIIb/IIIa inhibitor not followed by an interventional procedure does not improve prognosis in patients presenting with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) when compared to fibrinolysis alone. On the other hand, in the past percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) performed after fibrinolysis were associated with low angiographic efficacy, a high risk of bleeding and a high rate of early cardiovascular events.

Aim: Evaluation of angiographic and clinical outcomes in patients with STEMI treated with PCI following combined fibrinolytic therapy.

Fractional flow reserve assessment to determine the indications for myocardial revascularisation in patients with borderline stenosis of the left main coronary artery.

Introduction: Reliable assessment of clinical significance of borderline angiographic lesions found within the left main coronary artery (LM) is often impossible. Measurement of fractional flow reserve (FFR) is commonly used to verify borderline stenoses of the coronary arteries. However, the usefulness of FFR measurements has been validated only for arteries other than the LM.

Primary coronary angioplasty in patients with ST segment elevation acute myocardial infarction and diabetes.

Background: Subjects with diabetes constitute 13-25% of patients with ST segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI). In spite of the introduction of thrombolytic therapy, patients with STEMI and diabetes continue to have worse prognosis than those without diabetes. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been shown in recent years to be the most effective therapy in patients with STEMI.

[Assessment of myocardial reperfusion in patients with acute myocardial infarction treated with combination of fibrinolysis and IIb/IIIa platelet inhibitor].

Unlabelled: Facilitated percutaneous coronary intervention (facilitated PCI) in acute myocardial infarction--the use of planned PCI after pharmacological reperfusion therapy, can fuse the best aspects of thrombolysis and primary angioplasty. The aim of the study was to assess microvacular reperfusion in patients with acute myocardial infarction treated with half dose of alteplase and full dose of abciximab followed by primary PCI.

Methods: The study enrolled 100 patients with myocardial infarction within 12 hrs of chest pain onset in hospitals with at least 90 minutes of transportation time to interventional center.