The prevalence of calcium deposits in coronary arteries grows with age. Risk factors include, e.g., diabetes and chronic kidney disease. There are several underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of calcium deposition. Severe calcification increases the complexity of percutaneous coronary interventions. Invasive techniques to modify the calcified atherosclerotic plaque before stenting have been developed over the last years. They include balloon- and non-balloon-based techniques. Rotational atherectomy has been the most common technique to treat calcified lesions but new techniques are emerging (orbital atherectomy, intravascular lithotripsy, laser atherectomy). The use of intravascular imaging (intravascular ultrasound and optical coherence tomography) is especially important during the procedures in order to choose the optimal strategy and to assess the final effect of the procedure. This review provides an overview of the role of coronary calcification for percutaneous coronary interventions.
The optimal procedural protocol for coronary stent deployment remains undetermined. Post-dilation with a high-pressure balloon is often performed to optimize the stent expansion. However, high-pressure dilation also carries the potential risk of coronary artery injury.
Coronary artery disease (CAD) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, particularly among complex high-risk and indicated patients (CHIP). Revascularization is often beneficial for these patients; however, it requires thorough risk stratification and close multidisciplinary collaboration between cardiologists and cardiac surgeons to optimize outcomes. Personalized treatment plans, including percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), are crucial in this context.
Background: Whether the high bleeding risk (HBR) criteria of the Academic Research Consortium (ARC) have a consistent predictive ability across different categories of body mass index (BMI) remains unclear.
Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between 2012 and 2019 at Mount Sinai Hospital (New York, USA) were stratified into five BMI categories (18.5-24.
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.
