Interventional radiology in the airway in children

Interventional procedures in the airway can be performed in interventional radiology suites or the operating room, by radiologists or other specialists. The most common therapeutic interventions carried out by radiologists are balloon dilatation, stenting, and the treatment of certain airway fistulas. These operations can be very challenging for anesthetists in terms of planning, airway management, the identification and treatment of procedural complications and postoperative care. In particular, a multidisciplinary approach to decision‐making and planning is important to obtain the best results.     

Coronary artery disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus:Recent treatment strategies and future perspectives

Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) are at a higher risk of developing coronary artery disease(CAD) than are non-T2 DM patients. Moreover, the clinical outcomes in CAD with T2 DM are poor despite improvements in medications and other interventions. Coronary artery bypass grafting is superior to percutaneous coronary intervention in treating multivessel coronary artery disease in diabetic patients. However, selecting a revascularization strategy depends not only on the lesion complexity but also on the patient’s medical history and comorbidities. Additionally, comprehensive risk management with medical and non-pharmacological therapies is important, as is confirmation regarding whether the risk-management strategies are being appropriately achieved. Furthermore, non-pharmacological interventions using exercise and diet during the earlier stages of glucose metabolism abnormalities, such as impaired glucose tolerance, might be beneficial in preventing the development or progression of T2 DM and in reducing the occurrence of cardiovascular events.     

Impact of drug-eluting stent-associated coronary artery spasm on 3-year clinical outcomes: A propensity score matching analysis

BackgroundIt has been reported that significant endothelial dysfunction or clinically evident vasospasm can be associated with drug-eluting stents (DESs). However, the impact of DES associated coronary artery spasm (CAS) on long-term clinical outcomes has not been fully elucidated as compared with those of patients with vasospastic angina.MethodsA total of 2797 consecutive patients without significant coronary artery lesion (<70%), who underwent the Acetylcholine (Ach) provocation test, were enrolled between Nov 2004 and Oct 2010. DES-associated spasm was defined as significant CAS in proximal or distal to previously implanted DES site at follow-up angiography with Ach test. Patients were divided into two groups (DES-CAS; n = 108, CAS; n = 1878). For adjustment, propensity score matching (PSM) was done (C-statistics = 0.766, DES-CAS; n = 102, CAS; n = 102). SPSS 20 (Inc., Chicago, Illinois) was used to analyze this data.ResultsBaseline characteristics were worse in the DES-CAS group. After PSM, both baseline characteristics and the Ach test results were balanced except higher incidence of diffuse CAS and ECG change in the DES-CAS group. During Ach test, the incidence of diffuse spasm (93.1% vs. 81.3%, p = 0.012) and ST-T change (10.7% vs. 1.9%, p = 0.010) were higher in the DES-CAS group. At 3-year, before and after adjustment, the DES-CAS group showed a higher incidence of coronary revascularization (9.8% vs. 0.0%, p = 0.001), recurrent chest pain requiring follow up coronary angiography (CAG, 24.5% vs. 7.8%, p = 0.001) and major adverse cardiac events (MACEs, 9.8% vs. 0.9%, p < 0.005).ConclusionIn this study, DES associated CAS was associated with higher incidence of diffuse spasm, ST-T change and adverse 3-year clinical outcomes. Special caution should be exercised in this particular subset of patients.     

Hybrid,Y-configured,dual stent-assisted coil embolization in the treatment of wide-necked bifurcation aneurysms

In Y-stenting, stabilization of the first stent may be problematic as in some cases it migrates during second stent insertion. This report evaluates the safety and effectiveness of the technique and presents the long-term results of hybrid, Y-configured, dual stent-assisted coil embolization in the treatment of wide-necked bifurcation aneurysms.We retrospectively evaluated the patients treated endovascularly due to cerebral aneurysms. Twenty patients treated with hybrid Y-stent-assisted coil embolization were enrolled in the study. In hybrid stenting, an open-cell intracranial stent (Neuroform) was used as a first stent to prevent stent migration. A closed-cell stent (Enterprise or Acclino) was used as a second stent and the aneurysm was embolized with coils between the stent struts.In all patients, hybrid Y-stenting and coil embolization were accomplished successfully. No stent migration occurred. Clinically, neither symptomatic neurologic complication nor death was seen. Of 20 wide-necked bifurcation aneurysms, nine were at the basilar tip, while seven were at the middle cerebral artery and three at the anterior communicating artery. In one patient, the aneurysm was at the A2-3 junction of the anterior cerebral artery. One of the patients had a subarachnoid hemorrhage. The mean angiographic follow-up was 25.6 months. No in-stent stenosis was seen in any of the patients and recanalization in only one.Hybrid, Y-configured, dual stent-assisted coil embolization is a safe and effective method in the treatment of wide-necked bifurcation aneurysms to prevent stent migration and aneurysm recanalization, and is a viable alternative to microsurgery.