Drug eluting stent implantation for the treatment of symptomatic myocardial bridging is associated with favorable peri-procedural results and short-term outcomes.

Myocardial bridging is the most common congenital coronary abnormality, and is frequently found on post-mortem cardiac examination. Although often asymptomatic, clinical presentation can vary from unstable angina to sudden cardiac death. Only isolated cases of using drug eluting stents (DES) for bridging segments have been described.

Effect of platelet antigen polymorphism on platelet inhibition by aspirin, clopidogrel, or their combination.

Objectives: We studied the modifier effect of platelet antigen polymorphism (PlA2) on platelet inhibition by acetylsalicylic acid (ASA, i.e., aspirin), clopidogrel, or their combination in patients with coronary heart disease.

Advancing immunosuppression therapy to counter the progression of cardiac allograft vasculopathy.

Background: Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is the major cause of late mortality in heart transplant recipients. Because immunosuppressive therapy has been convincingly shown to suppress cellular rejection and prolong cardiac allograft survival, we assessed the efficacy of advancing immunosuppressive therapy in reversing or delaying CAV by switching azathioprine to combination mycophenolate mofetil and prednisone (MMF-P).

Methods And Results: Seventeen adult posttransplant patients, whose CAV was prospectively approached with the MMF-P protocol, were studied.

Statin therapy, LDL cholesterol, C-reactive protein, and coronary artery disease.

Background: Recent trials have demonstrated better outcomes with intensive than with moderate statin treatment. Intensive treatment produced greater reductions in both low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and C-reactive protein (CRP), suggesting a relationship between these two biomarkers and disease progression.

Methods: We performed intravascular ultrasonography in 502 patients with angiographically documented coronary disease.

Rotational X-ray coronary angiography.

We designed and implemented a digital flat-panel-based rotational X-ray coronary angiography technique hypothesizing that luminal disease could be identified with less radiation exposure and contrast usage compared to conventional angiography. Individuals scheduled for diagnostic coronary angiography were prospectively enrolled. In addition to conventional acquisitions in standard planes, subjects underwent one additional left coronary artery (LCA) or right coronary artery (RCA) rotational (spin) acquisition using a predefined trajectory.