Physiological Performance of Drug-Coated Balloons in Small Coronary Arteries PICCOLETO II μFR.

Background: Drug-coated balloons (DCB) are emerging as an alternative to permanent implants for managing de novo coronary artery disease, particularly in small vessels (SVD). This sub-analysis of the PICCOLETO II study aimed to compare the performance of DCB and DES in terms of Murray's law-based quantitative flow ratio (μFR) changes between baseline, post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and follow-up.

Methods: Patients with a clinical indication for PCI were assigned to receive either Xience DES or Elutax SV/Emperor DCB.

Drug-Coated Balloon Versus Drug-Eluting Stent for Small Coronary Vessel Disease: PICCOLETO II Randomized Clinical Trial.

Objectives: This study sought to compare the performance of a novel drug-coated balloon (DCB) (Elutax SV, Aachen Resonance, Germany), with an everolimus-eluting stent (EES) (Abbott Vascular, Santa Clara, California) in patients with de novo lesions.

Background: Small vessel coronary artery disease (SVD) represents one of the most attractive fields of application for DCB. To date, several devices have been compared with drug-eluting stents in this setting, with different outcomes.

Role of optical coherence tomography for distal left main stem angioplasty.

Objective: The objective is to analyze the acute and midterm angiographic outcome of percutaneous treatment of left main coronary stem (LM-PCI) guided by optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Background: LM-PCI is a complex procedure, and several anatomical factors may impair its outcome. Intravascular imaging is emerging as a useful tool to guide the procedure.

One-year clinical performance of ABSORB bioresorbable vascular scaffold in patients presenting with acute coronary syndromes: Results from the RAI registry.

Objectives: To report 1-year clinical outcomes of bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) in acute coronary syndromes (ACS) population.

Background: BVS use has rapidly extended to high-risk patients as those presenting with ACS. To date limited data have been reported on BVS performance in ACS patients.

Clinical performance of a dedicated self-apposing stent for the treatment of left main stem disease. Results of the left Main AngioplasTy wIth a Self-apposing StEnt - the MATISSE study.

Background: In the recent years percutaneous treatment of the left main stem (LM) has gained a precise role as a result of consistent scientific evidence vs. coronary artery bypass. A self-apposing stent offers an improved adaptation to the vessel wall, especially in case of tapered vessels; aim of this study was to investigate the role of a novel self-apposing, sirolimus-eluting stent (Stentys, France) for the treatment of LM coronary artery disease.

Bioresorbable vascular scaffold versus everolimus-eluting stents or drug eluting balloon for the treatment of coronary in-stent restenosis: 1-Year follow-up of a propensity score matching comparison (the BIORESOLVE-ISR Study).

Objectives: to compare the 1-year outcome between bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS), everolimus-eluting stent (EES), and drug-eluting balloon (DEB) for in-stent restenosis (ISR) treatment.

Background: BVS has been proposed as alternative for ISR treatment. To date a direct comparison between BVS and DES or DEB for ISR treatment is lacking.

One-year clinical outcomes after unrestricted implantation of the Absorb bioresorbable scaffold (RAI registry).

Aims: The aim of this study was to assess outcomes following Absorb bioresorbable scaffold (BVS) implantation in an unrestricted clinical practice according to an "on-label" versus "off-label" indication.

Methods And Results: RAI is a prospective registry, investigating BVS performance in different lesion subsets. No specific exclusion criteria were applied.

First experience of drug-coated balloons for treatment of bioresorbable vascular scaffold restenosis.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of drug-coated balloons (DCB) for the management of bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) restenosis.

Methods And Results: In a series of 25 BVS restenosis discovered during systematic angiographic follow up of 246 consecutive BVS implantations at our institution, DCB was used as a primary therapeutic tool in 9 patients and 3 different types of DCB were used. Follow-up coronary angiography at 12months after DCB treatment was performed to all the patients.

Immediate and short-term performance of a novel sirolimus-coated balloon during complex percutaneous coronary interventions. The FAtebenefratelli SIrolimus COated-balloon (FASICO) registry.

Background And Purposes: Drug-coated balloons (DCB) currently represent an alternative to drug-eluting stents (DES) for the treatment of in-stent restenosis and they are also variably used for small coronary vessel and bifurcation lesion management. All DCB variably elute paclitaxel as an anti-proliferative drug. The first sirolimus coated balloon (SCB) received the CE mark in 2016, but its clinical performance has not been shown yet.

Effect of Drug-Coated Balloons in Native Coronary Artery Disease Left With a Dissection.

Objectives: The authors sought to understand the clinical and angiographic outcomes of dissections left after drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty.

Background: Second-generation DCB may be an alternative to stents in selected populations for the treatment of native coronary lesions. However, the use of these devices may be hampered by a certain risk of acute vessel recoil or residual coronary dissection.

Late Malapposition After Bare-Metal Stent, But Not Bioresorbable Scaffold: Insights on Intraindividual Heterogeneity in Plaque and Device Response.

We present a case of late acquired bare-metal stent malapposition and uncovered struts, visible at angiography and confirmed by optical frequency domain imaging. In the same patient, an everolimus-eluting biovascular scaffold in another vessel was well apposed and all struts were covered. This case highlights the potential heterogeneity in the evolution of atherosclerotic plaques and response to different devices in the same patient.

Clinical Comparison With Short-Term Follow-Up of Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold Versus Everolimus-Eluting Stent in Primary Percutaneous Coronary Interventions.

Objective of this study was to assess the clinical performance of bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) compared to everolimus-eluting stent (EES) in subjects with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We included all consecutive patients with STEMI who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with BVS implantation in centers participating to the Italian ABSORB Prospective Registry (BVS-RAI) and PCI with EES in the same centers during the same period. The 2 groups were compared.

Effective Treatment of Intermediate-Risk Pulmonary Embolism by Manual Thrombus Aspiration. A Report of Two Cases.

Manual thrombectomy, part of the armamentarium of interventional cardiologists, might also be considered as an effective and safe alternative to manage intermediate/high risk acute PE patients with contraindications to thrombolysis or with acute haemodynamic decompensation. We here describe two cases with intermediate risk pulmonary embolism and severe hypoxaemia where manual thrombectomy with a 10F dedicated catheter was effective and improved clinical and haemodynamic parameters. Currently, there's no clear and effective treatment for these patients, thus we believe that this therapy, as current ESC guidelines suggest, should become a possible alternative to systemic thrombolysis and anticoagulant regimen.

Late coronary BVS malapposition and aneurysm: A Time for Appraisal.

Late strut malapposition of currently available stents is a major issue, associated with an increased risk of stent thrombosis. To this day, biovascular scaffolds showed an increased immediate risk of struts malapposition, that however resulted reduced after a few months. Little is known about late acquired struts malapposition of biovascular scaffolds.

Immediate and midterm outcomes following primary PCI with bioresorbable vascular scaffold implantation in patients with ST-segment myocardial infarction: insights from the multicentre "Registro ABSORB Italiano" (RAI registry).

Aims: In this multicentre prospective registry we sought to evaluate the immediate and midterm clinical outcomes following single or multiple overlapping bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) implantation in the STEMI setting.

Methods And Results: A prospective cohort analysis was performed on all STEMI patients who underwent primary PCI with BVS implantation. Between December 2012 and February 2014, 1,232 STEMI patients underwent primary PCI at the participating centres.