Ultrasound guidance for urgent arterial and venous catheterisation: randomised controlled study.

Background: Haemodynamically unstable patients often require arterial and venous catheter insertion urgently. We hypothesised that ultrasound-guided arterial and venous catheterisation would reduce mechanical complications.

Methods: We performed a prospective RCT, where patients requiring both urgent arterial and venous femoral catheterisation were randomised to either ultrasound-guided or landmark-guided catheterisation.

Minoxidil versus placebo in the treatment of arterial wall hypertrophy in children with Williams Beuren Syndrome: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Insufficient elastin synthesis leads to vascular complications and arterial hypertension in children with Williams-Beuren syndrome. Restoring sufficient quantity of elastin should then result in prevention or inhibition of vascular malformations and improvement in arterial blood pressure.

Methods: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of minoxidil on Intima Media Thickness (IMT) on the right common carotid artery after twelve-month treatment in patient with Williams-Beuren syndrome.

Plaque density on CT, a potential marker of ischemic stroke.

The authors sought to determine in a retrospective analysis whether carotid plaque soft TD on CT is associated with recent ischemic neurologic events. Among 141 patients (99 asymptomatic), 106 plaques with more than 50% stenosis were selected for density measurements. They found an odds ratio for neurologic events associated with a 10-point decrease in density of 1.

Concordance rate differences of 3 noninvasive imaging techniques to measure carotid stenosis in clinical routine practice: results of the CARMEDAS multicenter study.

Background And Purpose: To replace digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in carotid stenosis evaluation, noninvasive imaging techniques have to reach a high concordance rate. Our purpose is to compare the concordance rates of contrast-enhanced MR angiography (CEMRA) and CT angiography (CTA) with Doppler ultrasound (DUS) in clinical routine practice.

Methods: We evaluated prospectively with DUS, CEMRA, and CTA 150 patients suspected of carotid stenosis.

[Efficacy and safety of low-dose heparin (30 IU/kg) during coronary angioplasty].

High doses of heparin are recommended during coronary angioplasty although platelet inhibition seems to play a role in the prevention of ischaemic complications. Low dose heparin could reduce the incidence of local complications without increasing that of major coronary events. The authors report the results of a prospective register of coronary angioplasties performed by the femoral approach with a single bolus of 30 IU/Kg of heparin and immediate withdrawal of the 6 French introducer.