Radial artery flow-mediated dilation predicts arterial spasm during transradial coronary interventions.

Background: Transradial coronary catheterization has emerged over the last years as a favorable catheterization practice, based on evidence that it is associated with less vascular complications and shorter hospital stays. However, access site crossover appears to be more frequent when the initial route is the transradial one, one of the main reasons being arterial spasm. We hypothesized that radial flow-mediated dilation (FMD) measurements could be used as a preprocedural method to assess the likelihood of arterial spasm.

Effect of quinapril on in-stent restenosis and relation to plasma apoptosis signaling molecules.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors have been reported to inhibit in-stent restenosis. To assess the effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition on in-stent restenosis and its relation to apoptosis, 86 patients with chronic coronary artery disease who required stent implantation in the left anterior descending coronary artery or a major diagonal branch were studied. Patients were randomized to receive quinapril 40 mg/day orally (n = 43) or a placebo (n = 43).