Late peri-stent contrast staining appearance due to rupture of atherogenic neointima following drug-eluting stent.

The development of peri-stent contrast staining (PSS) after coronary intervention with implantation of a stent is observed in approximately 1-3% of patients treated with drug-eluting stent. Although the cumulative incidences of late in-stent restenosis and stent thrombosis are significantly higher in lesions with PSS than in those without the finding, the mechanisms for the development of PSS have not yet been fully elucidated. In this report, we describe a case of rapid development of PSS with ulcer formation caused by rupture of atherogenic neointima, which was observed by serial optical coherence tomography examinations over 6 months.

Acute myocardial infarction in a patient with uncorrected tetralogy of Fallot accompanied by coronary artery ectasia: A case report.

A 63-year-old male with a medical history of uncorrected tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) presented to our hospital due to acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Emergency coronary angiography (CAG) was performed and it showed a severe thrombotic stenosis in the middle right coronary artery (RCA) and total thrombotic occlusion of the posterior descending branch of the RCA. Subsequently, percutaneous coronary artery intervention (PCI) under the guidance of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) was performed.

Successful percutaneous removal of dislodged ring-marker of optical coherence tomography catheter using the twisted wire technique with a guide-extension catheter: A case report.

An 81-year-old male with diabetes and hypertension was admitted to our hospital due to chest pain on exertion. Coronary angiography revealed a severe stenosis at the middle of right coronary artery (RCA). We performed percutaneous coronary intervention under the guidance of optical coherence tomography (OCT) to the lesion in the middle RCA.

Influence of caffeine intake on intravenous adenosine-induced fractional flow reserve.

Background: This study evaluated whether caffeine abstention is required before fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurement by intravenous adenosine triphosphate (ATP) administration in Japanese patients.

Methods: This study was a subanalysis of a previously published study and a total of 208 intermediate lesions that underwent FFR measurements were enrolled for this analysis. Hyperemia was induced by continuous intravenous ATP infusion at 150 μg/kg/min (IVATP150) and 210 μg/kg/min (IVATP210), and by intracoronary administration of nicorandil 2 mg (ICNIC2mg) as a reference standard.

Short- and mid-term influence of drug-coated stent implantation on structural and functional vascular healing response: An optical coherence tomography and acetylcholine testing study.

Objective: This study investigated the effect of a drug-coated stent (DCS) that has a novel microporous abluminal surface without a polymer on 1-month and 1-year functional and morphological healing response as assessed using acetylcholine (Ach) testing and optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Background: DCS is expected to induce favorable morphological and physiological arterial healing after its implantation.

Methods: A total of 11 patients who underwent vascular response examinations 1-month and 1-year after the index PCI with DCS implantation were enrolled.

Effect of neointimal tissue morphology on vascular response to balloon angioplasty in lesions with in-stent restenosis after drug-eluting stent deployment: an optical coherence tomography analysis.

This study aimed to evaluate the vascular response to balloon angioplasty for drug-eluting stent (DES) in-stent restenosis (ISR) lesions based on our novel optical coherence tomography (OCT) classification to establish the optimal treatment strategy for ISR lesions after DES implantation. A total of 104 ISR lesions after DES implantation were imaged by OCT and categorized into the following six patterns: type I-homogeneous high-intensity tissue, type II-heterogeneous tissue with signal attenuation, type III-speckled heterogeneous tissue, type IV-mixed tissue containing poorly delineated region with invisible strut, type V-mixed tissue containing sharply delineated low-intensity region, and type VI-bright protruding tissue with an irregular surface. Serial volumetric OCT analysis was performed before and after balloon dilation to evaluate the vascular response to balloon angioplasty.

Impact of optical coherence tomography-derived neointimal tissue morphology on development of very late in-stent restenosis.

Objectives: This study evaluated the progression of very late in-stent restenosis (VL-ISR) by analyzing four serial coronary angiography (CAG) images and its correlation with neointimal tissue characterization of the VL-ISR lesions on optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Background: Recently, VL-ISR is occasionally observed beyond a few years after drug-eluting stents (DESs) implantation.

Methods: This study analyzed 50 VL-ISR lesions after DES in which 4 serial CAGs over a period of 2 years, including at baseline procedure, 9 months after baseline procedure, 12 months before VL-ISR, and at the time of VL-ISR, were performed.

Utility and Validity of Intracoronary Administration of Nicorandil Alone for the Measurement of Fractional Flow Reserve in Patients With Intermediate Coronary Stenosis.

Background: Intracoronary (IC) administration of nicorandil has been proposed as an alternative choice of hyperemic agent for fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurements. This study evaluated the utility and validity of IC nicorandil administration alone to induce maximal hyperemia.

Methods and results: Two-hundred-seven patients with coronary artery disease listed for coronary angiography with FFR were prospectively enrolled.

Optical coherence tomography characteristics of in-stent restenosis after drug-eluting stent implantation: a novel classification and its clinical significance.

This study aimed to establish a novel classification of in-stent restenosis (ISR) morphological characteristics after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation as visualized by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and determine its clinical significance. A total of 133 lesions with intrastent restenosis after DES implantation were imaged by OCT. Neointimal tissue characteristics were categorized according to the classical classification as either homogeneous, heterogeneous, or layered.

Evaluation of repeated progression of native coronary artery stenosis by optical frequency domain imaging in a patient with essential thrombocytosis.

Essential thrombocytosis (ET) is a myeloproliferative disorder with abnormal proliferation of the megakaryocytes and is manifested clinically by the overproduction of dysfunctional platelets, leading to thrombus formation. Therefore, the accurate evaluation of the morphological features for coronary stenosis and initiation of appropriate treatment may be life-saving for ET patients. In this report, we describe a case of the rapid development of repeated stenosis in the native coronary artery in an ET patient, and optical frequency domain imaging confirmed the etiology of the stenoses.

Accuracy of J-CTO Score Derived From Computed Tomography Versus Angiography to Predict Successful Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the ability of conventional versus computed tomography angiography (CTA) to predict procedural success and 30-min wire crossing rates in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for chronic total occlusion (CTO) lesions.

Background: Coronary CTA can be used to assess the morphology of CTO lesions.

Methods: We examined 205 consecutive patients (218 CTO lesions) who underwent coronary CTA pre-PCI.

Simultaneous occurrence of spontaneous coronary artery dissections of the left anterior descending and right coronary arteries in acute myocardial infarction.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a rare and often fatal cause of ischemic heart disease that occurs predominantly in young or middle-aged patients who are otherwise healthy. Therefore, the accurate diagnosis of SCAD and initiation of appropriate treatment may be life-saving. Although recent case reports have described patients with SCAD who exhibited multiple coronary dissections in addition to the culprit lesion, the authors could not determine whether the multiple dissections occurred simultaneously or at different times.

A multidirectional approach to risk assessment in patients with three-vessel coronary artery disease undergoing percutaneous intervention.

Background: The SYNTAX score (SS) and Clinical SYNTAX score (CSS) have demonstrated utility as risk-stratifying tools following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, useful determinants for predicting hard clinical events (HCE: death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and stroke) in the setting of routinely-performed-angiographic follow-up have yet to be elucidated.

Methods And Results: We retrospectively examined the clinical outcomes of 252 three-vessel disease (TVD) patients following PCI.

Takayasu arteritis and ulcerative cutaneous sarcoidosis.

A 67-year-old woman was referred to our hospital due to a refractory lower extremity ulcer. Occlusion of the bilateral superficial femoral arteries and a difference (>50 mmHg) in blood pressure between the bilateral upper limbs were noted. In addition to occlusion of the left subclavian artery and stenosis at the ostium of the right coronary artery, these findings led to a diagnosis of Takayasu arteritis.

Association between absolute blood eosinophil count and CKD stages among cardiac patients.

Elevated eosinophil count was shown to be associated with the development of cholesterol embolization syndrome, a potentially life-threatening condition, after catheter-based procedures. We investigated the association between stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the absolute eosinophil count (AEC) among cardiac patients. CKD stages were determined solely on the estimated glomerular filtration rate or requirement for hemodialysis.