Original Research | By Jang SJ, Ahn JM, Oh WY et al.
Although the identification of the hemodynamic significance of coronary lesions becomes important for revascularization strategy, the potential role of 3-dimensional high-resolution intracoronary optical coherence tomography (OCT) for predicting functional significance of coronary lesions remains unclear. We assessed the diagnostic performance of 2 computational approaches for deriving fractional flow reserve (FFR) from intravascular OCT im...
Clinical Trial | By Kala P, Cervinka P, Jakl M E et al.
AIMS - To assess the possible merits of optical coherence tomography (OCT) guidance in primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI). METHODS AND RESULTS - 201 patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) were enrolled in this study. Patients were randomized either to pPCI alone (angio-guided group, n=96) or to pPCI with OCT guidance (OCT-guided group, n=105) an...
Clinical Case Study | By De Maria GL, Kharbanda R, Banning AP
Longitudinal rotational atherectomy of metal struts is well described as bail-out strategy to treat undilatable instent restenosis. Ablation of metal stent struts jailing the ostium of a major side branch in a coronary bifurcation is not described. In the current report, we describe a case of "transverse" rotational atherectomy to treat a failure of culotte stenting in a left main stem bifurcation. We...
Intravascular ultrasound enhances the safety of rotational atherectomy
Review Article | By Sakakura K, Yamamoto K, Taniguchi Y et al.
Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is mainly used in PCI to treat complex lesions, such as left main bifurcation, chronic total occlusion and calcified lesions. Although IVUS yields useful information such as the presence of napkin-ring calcification, the role of IVUS in rotational atherectomy (RA) is not fully appreciated. Recently, since the deliverability and crossability of IVUS catheters have improved, IVUS should be attempted befo...
Review Article | By Barbato E, Shlofmitz E, Milkas A et al.
Since the first balloon angioplasty by Andreas Grüntzig 40 years ago, interventional cardiology has witnessed the introduction of countless tools and techniques that have significantly contributed to broadening the application of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in unprecedented anatomic settings. Heavily calcified, fibrotic coronary stenosis has traditionally represented a very challenging scenario for PCI, and a very common indication for surgical r...
Original Research | By Stone GW, Selker HP, Thiele H et al.
BACKGROUND - Prompt reperfusion in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) reduces infarct size and improves survival. However, the intuitive link between infarct size and prognosis has not been convincingly demonstrated in the contemporary era. OBJECTIVES - This study sought to determine the strength of the relationship betwee...
Original Research | By Siontis KC, Barsness GW, Gersh BJ et al.
The effectiveness of a pharmacoinvasive strategy consisting of fibrinolysis and transfer for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) compared to primary PCI (PPCI) in patients presenting to non-PCI-capable hospitals with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is not well defined. We analyzed data from the Mayo Clinic STEMI database of patients treated with a pharmac...
Original Research | By Liu H, Tian Y, Hu Y et al.
Monitoring data on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) level in China's major cities were available since 2013. We conducted a time-stratified case-crossover study to evaluate the association between short-term exposure to PM2.5 and hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), as well as subsequent cardiac and AMI readmissions among AMI survivors. Hospital admissions for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) an...
Clinical Trial | By Jansen H, Jänsch A, Koenig W et al.
BACKGROUND - High-sensitivity Troponins (hs-cTnT and hs-cTnI) are established biomarkers to identify patients with an acute myocardial infarction. However, data comparing the capacity of these two subtypes in predicting recurrent cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in a population with stable coronary heart disease (CHD) after adjustment for several other modern biomarkers are lacking. ...
Left-main restenosis in the DES era-a call for action
Review Article | By di Palma G, Cortese B
Percutaneous treatment of the unprotected left main trunk (ULM), defined as a vessel without patent bypass graft either to the left circumflex (LCX) or left anterior descending (LAD) artery, has gained a precise role thanks to recent scientific evidence. Although new generation drug-eluting stents have already proven to be safer, there is still a consistent risk of restenosis and late adverse events. Th...