Prevalence of Asymptomatic Coronary Heart Disease in the Siblings of Young Myocardial Infarction Patients as Detected by Coronary Computer Tomography Angiography: A Pilot Study.

Background: There is little data on the prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) in the young. The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of asymptomatic CHD in siblings of young patients with myocardial infarction (MI) using coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA).

Methods: Prospective observational data was collected on siblings of patients aged ≤55 years presenting with acute MI and having coronary stenosis ≥50% on invasive coronary angiography in at least one epicardial coronary artery.

Myocardial Infarction in the "Young": Risk Factors, Presentation, Management and Prognosis.

Myocardial infarction (MI) in the "young" is a significant problem, however there is scarcity of data on premature coronary heart disease (CHD) and MI in the "young". This may lead to under-appreciation of important differences that exist between "young" MI patients versus an older cohort. Traditional differences described in the risk factor profile of younger MI compared to older patients include a higher prevalence of smoking, family history of premature CHD and male gender.

Coronary computed tomography angiography: a new wave of cardiac imaging.

Coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) is becoming a popular non-invasive imaging modality for coronary arteries. It has high sensitivity and specificity in the evaluation of coronary artery disease (CAD). Due to its high negative predictive value, the main clinical role of coronary CTA is in the exclusion of significant CAD in the low to intermediate pretest probability patients.

Negative coronary CT angiography for chest pain assessment predicts low event rate in 5 years.

Introduction: Coronary CT angiography (CTA) is becoming a popular investigation for chest pain. A negative coronary CTA is known to have a good negative predictive value for major adverse cardiovascular events in short term. The data on the long-term outcomes of negative coronary CTA are lacking.

Thrombus aspiration alone: a potential strategy in ST elevation myocardial infarction intervention.

We are reporting a case of 46 year-old man, smoker with strong family history of coronary artery disease, presenting with acute anterolateral ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Diagnostic angiography revealed thrombus at the distal left main, occluding the anterior descending and intermediate arteries. Thrombus aspiration was performed with successful return of flow in the left coronary system.

Adjunctive balloon dilatation after stent deployment: beneficial or deleterious?

The practice of adjunctive balloon post-dilatation is not consistent among interventionalists, particularly in the setting of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). There have been some concerns about the risks of adjunctive balloon post-dilatation, particularly in the setting of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This review will examine the data on the angiographic and clinical effects, and the risks of adjunctive balloon post-dilatation of stents in the treatment of coronary artery disease.

CT coronary angiography predicts the outcome of percutaneous coronary intervention of chronic total occlusion.

Background: The success rate of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of chronic total occlusions (CTO) is relatively low. Further evaluation of CTO lesion with CT coronary angiography (CT-CA) may help to better select patients that would benefit from percutaneous revascularization. We aimed to test the possible association between failed PCI and transluminal calcification of CTO as assessed by CT-CA.

Discrepancy between computed tomography coronary angiography and selective coronary angiography in the pre-stenting assessment of coronary lesion length.

We aimed to compare the lesion length measured on computed tomography coronary angiography (CT-CA) with the selective coronary angiography (SCA) lesion length measured on quantitative coronary angiography (QCA). Compared with SCA, CT-CA has the advantage of showing the lumen and the atherosclerotic plaque in the arterial wall. This prospective observational study involved 44 coronary lesions.

Diagnostic accuracy of 16-slice CT coronary angiography in the evaluation of coronary artery disease.

Multislice CT coronary angiography (CT-CA) has emerged as a potential imaging method for coronary artery disease. This study aimed to ascertain the accuracy of 16-slice CT in the diagnosis of significant coronary stenosis (>or=50% reduction of lumen diameter). This mixed retrospective/prospective observational study compared 95 paired 16-slice CT-CA and fluoroscopic coronary angiography (FCA) sets.

Combining warfarin and antiplatelet therapy after coronary stenting in the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events: is it safe and effective to use just one antiplatelet agent?

Aims: To identify factors associated with the use of single or dual antiplatelet therapy in patients prescribed warfarin following coronary stenting and to investigate whether single (aspirin or thienopyridine) vs. dual antiplatelet therapy plus warfarin leads to an excess of adverse outcomes.

Methods And Results: We analysed data from 800 patients with an acute coronary syndrome who underwent coronary stenting (130 patients received a drug-eluting stent) and were discharged on warfarin and either dual (n = 580) or single (n = 220) antiplatelet therapy.

Non-invasive computed tomography angiography in the assessment of coronary stent patency: an Australian experience.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of 16-slice computed tomography (CT) in the assessment of coronary stent patency. CT coronary angiography (CA) has a high degree of accuracy in the assessment of coronary artery disease compared with invasive selective CA. However, its accuracy in the evaluation of stent patency is not well investigated.

Practicality, safety and accuracy of computed tomography coronary angiography in the evaluation of low TIMI-risk score chest pain patients: a pilot study.

Objectives: The present pilot study aimed to assess the practicality, safety and accuracy of performing CT coronary angiography (CT-CA) in the evaluation of acute chest pain of patients with low thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) risk scores.

Methods: The present prospective observational study was undertaken in a university teaching hospital between November 2004 and December 2005. Participants were a convenience sample of patients admitted to hospital for investigation of chest pain with TIMI risk scores <3.

Determining the proportion of coronary segments assessable on 16-slice CT coronary angiography: a brief report.

Computed tomography coronary angiography (CT-CA) is becoming a popular non-invasive coronary imaging method. We aimed to determine the proportion of coronary segments assessable on a 16-slice CT in comparison with conventional selective coronary angiography (SCA). We identified all patients who had both 16-slice CT-CA and recent SCA (less than 12 months) from March 2004 to July 2005.

Non-invasive multislice computed tomography coronary angiography for imaging coronary arteries, stents and bypass grafts.

Abstract Multislice computed tomography (MSCT) is evolving rapidly and available data suggest that MSCT coronary angiography may be a reliable and accurate non-invasive imaging modality of coronary arteries. Current generations of MSCT scanners have high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing native coronary artery disease and coronary bypass graft occlusion. The performance of MSCT in the evaluation of stent patency is still being assessed.

Giant single coronary system with coronary cameral fistula diagnosed on MSCT.

Anomalous single coronary artery with coronary fistula is a rare finding. This is a case report of an unusual single coronary artery arising from left coronary sinus and terminating into right ventricle through a coronary cameral fistula to form a left to right shunt. This case report also illustrates how well the non-invasive CT coronary angiography with a 16-slice CT scanner characterizes the anatomy of anomalous coronary artery with a coronary cameral fistula.

Multislice CT to evaluate coronary stent patency: a case report.

This is a case report on the ability of 16-slice computed tomography in assessing the patency of coronary stent and diagnosing an asymptomatic stenotic lesion with soft plaque morphology. These findings were confirmed with a selective coronary angiography. Identification of lesion morphology facilitated our decision on prophylactic and direct stenting to the lesion.