Laser angioplasty in peripheral arterial disease

Laser angioplasty was performed in 66 patients with total occlusion of the ilio-femoral artery. The system used consisted of a pulsed dye laser operating at 480 nm, 50 mJ pulse^–1, 2s pulse^–1 and 5 Hz. The treatment laser was coupled into a 200m optical fibre wrapped around a coil for improved flexibility and radiopacity. The treatment laser was connected with a diagnostic laser consisting of a continuous wave helium-cadmium laser operating at 325 nm, 50 ms and 3 mW for tissue detection using fluorescence spectroscopy. The primary success rate was 82%, the complication rate was 15% without any clinical sequelae and the 18 month follow-up patency rate was 64%. Due to the narrow pilot channel created by laser angioplasty, in each case a complementary balloon angioplasty was required to restore the arterial lumen. The success rate did not depend upon the length of occlusion but was rather related to the extent of calcification. Laser angioplasty guided by spectroscopy is effective and safe in patients with totally occluded peripheral arteries in whom mechanical devices failed to cross the obstruction.     

Five-year clinical outcomes of the first Korean-made sirolimus-eluting coronary stent with abluminal biodegradable polymer

This study evaluated the 5-year clinical outcomes of the Genoss DES, the first Korean-made sirolimus-eluting coronary stent with abluminal biodegradable polymer.We previously conducted the first-in-patient prospective, multicenter, randomized trial with a 1:1 ratio of patients using the Genoss DES and Promus Element stents; the angiographic and clinical outcomes of the Genoss DES stent were comparable to those of the Promus Element stent. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac events (MACE), which was a composite of death, myocardial infarction (MI), and target lesion revascularization (TLR) at 5 years.We enrolled 38 patients in the Genoss DES group and 39 in the Promus Element group. Thirty-eight patients (100%) from the Genoss DES group and 38 (97.4%) from the Promus Element group were followed up at 5 years. The rates of MACE (5.3% vs 12.8%, P = .431), death (5.3% vs 10.3%, P = .675), TLR (2.6% vs 2.6%, P = 1.000), and target vessel revascularization (TVR) (7.9% vs 2.6%, P = .358) at 5 years did not differ significantly between the groups. No TLR or target vessel revascularization was reported from years 1 to 5 after the index procedure, and no MI or stent thrombosis occurred in either group during 5 years.The biodegradable polymer Genoss DES and durable polymer Promus Element stents showed comparable low rates of MACE at the 5-year clinical follow-up.     

Health-Related Quality-of-Life after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients with UA/NSTEMI and STEMI: the Korean Multicenter Registry

Compared with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), long-term outcomes are known to be worse in patients with unstable angina/non-STEMI (UA/NSTEMI), which might be related to the worse health status of patients with UA/STEMI. In patients with UA/NSTEMI and STEMI underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), angina-specific and general health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) was investigated at baseline and at 30 days after PCI. Patients with UA/NSTEMI were older and had higher frequencies in female, diabetes and hypertension. After PCI, both angina-specific and general HRQOL scores were improved, but improvement was much more frequent in angina-related HRQOL of patients with UA/NSTEMI than those with STEMI (44.2% vs 36.8%, P < 0.001). Improvement was less common in general HRQOL. At 30-days after PCI, angina-specific HRQOL of the patients with UA/NSTEMI was comparable to those with STEMI (56.1 ± 18.6 vs 56.6 ± 18.7, P = 0.521), but general HRQOL was significantly lower (0.86 ± 0.21 vs 0.89 ± 0.17, P = 0.001) after adjusting baseline characteristics (P < 0.001). In conclusion, the general health status of those with UA/NSTEMI was not good even after optimal PCI. In addition to angina-specific therapy, comprehensive supportive care would be needed to improve the general health status of acute coronary syndrome survivors.     

Comparison of sirolimus‐eluting stent,paclitaxel‐eluting stent,and bare metal stent in the treatment of long coronary lesions

Objective: This study compared the efficacy of the sirolimus‐eluting stent (SES), the paclitaxel‐eluting stent (PES), and the bare metal stent (BMS) for long coronary lesions. Background: The outcome of drug‐eluting stent (DES) implantation in long coronary lesions remains unclear. Methods: The study involved 527 patients with de novo long coronary lesions (≥24 mm), which were treated with long (≥28 mm) SESs (223 lesions), PESs (194 lesions), or BMSs (201 lesions). Results: Lesions in the SES (36.0 ± 14.9 mm, P < 0.001) and PES (36.3 ± 14.5 mm, P < 0.001) groups were longer than those in the BMS group (32.0 ± 12.3 mm), meaning the two DES groups had longer stented segments than did the BMS group. Six‐month angiographic follow‐up showed the SES (9.3%, P < 0.001) and PES (21.3%, P < 0.001) groups had lower in‐segment restenosis rates than that of the BMS group (42.5%). The rate of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) including death, myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization at 9 months was higher in the BMS group (26.6%) than that in the SES (13.0%, P < 0.001) and PES (15.7%, P < 0.001) groups. Posthoc analysis of the two DES groups showed that the in‐segment restenosis rate was lower for the SES than that for the PES group (P = 0.002), while the MACE rate was similar. Conclusions: The use of DESs for long coronary lesions appears to be safe and more effective than the use of BMSs in terms of restenosis and adverse clinical events. SES use was associated with lower late luminal loss and a lower angiographic restenosis rate compared with PES use. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

A coronary artery fistula with saccular aneurysm mimicking a right atrial cystic mass

A 16 year-old Korean girl with cardiomegaly was found to have a "right atrial cystic mass" on transthoracic echocardiography. An unusual cystic structure made the diagnosis difficult. However, transesophageal echocardiography and multidetector computed tomography revealed a coronary artery fistula with a distal saccular aneurysm involving the interatrial septum and draining into the right atrium. Multidetector computed tomography provided clear anatomic visualization that fully delineated the abnormal structures. Multidetector computed tomography may be considered as a good alternative for transesophageal echocardiography in assessing a tortuous coronary artery fistula and aneurysm with complex anatomy.     

Effects of super-pulsed Nd-YAG laser on arterial tissue: comparison with continuous wave

The effects of a super-pulsed Nd-YAG laser at 1.32 μm wavelength on normal or atherosclerotic human arterial tissue were evaluated and compared with those obtained with continuous wave. One joule per pulse was delivered through a 0.2 mm optical fibre with a pulse width of 10 ms at 10 Hz (super-pulse), or 10 W (10 J) were delivered at continuous wave in saline or blood. Ten joules were delivered with super-pulse or continuous wave for each tissue specimen. The aortic specimens were lased either by continuous wave or super-pulse. At super-pulse mode, ablation efficiency (mm³ J⁻¹) was 0.0149±0.0044 for normal tissue in saline, 0.0148±0.0043 for atheroma in saline, 0.0138±0.0062 for normal tissue in blood, and 0.0146±0.0049 for atheroma in blood. There was no significant difference between the groups. At continuous wave mode, ablation efficiency was 0.0507±0.0299 for atheroma in blood (p<0.001 vs super-pulse). However, extensive charring was observed with continuous wave lasing (41% with continuous against 14% with pulsed mode,p<0.001). Heavily calcified plaques were also ablated at 1.5 J per pulse and 15 W (continuous wave), resulting in extensive charring with continuous wave (77% vs 18% with super-pulse,p<0.01). In conclusion, at super-pulse mode, 1.32 μm Nd-YAG laser has neither the selectivity for atheroma nor influence of blood, thermal injury induced by super-pulse is less than that induced by continuous wave (cw), calcified plaques can be ablated by super-pulse, and super-pulsed Nd-YAG laser angioplasty is safer to use than continuous wave.     

Impact of myocardial perfusion on left atrial remodeling following primary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the impact of myocardial perfusion on left atrial remodeling and its determinants after primary percutaneous coronary intervention for acute myocardial infarction. BACKGROUND: Left atrial volume is an important predictor of morbidity and mortality in acute myocardial infarction, while thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) myocardial perfusion (TMP) grade is an angiographic index associated with infarct size and mortality. As yet, however, the relationship between TMP grade and left atrial remodeling has not been investigated. METHODS: Conventional transthoracic echocardiography was performed in 105 patients (55+/-13 years old, 92 men) with acute myocardial infarction within 24 h and after 6 months (mean 9+/-4, range 6-29 months) following successful primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Absolute left atrial volume was calculated using an elliptical model. Myocardial perfusion was evaluated, using TMP grade, by visual assessment on the coronary angiogram. Patients were divided into three groups on the basis of myocardial perfusion status, as TMP 0/1 (n=36), TMP 2 (n=36) and TMP 3 (n=33). RESULTS: No difference was observed between baseline and follow-up left atrial volumes in the overall study population (42.5+/-16.1 vs. 43.5+/-17.4 ml, P=0.519). As regards TMP grade, follow-up left atrial volume significantly increased in the TMP 0/1 group (43+/-17 vs. 54.6+/-1.1 ml, P<0.001) and significantly decreased in the TMP 3 group (42.9+/-15.7 vs. 35.5+/-12.2 ml, P=0.001) compared with initial values. No change was observed in left atrial volume in the TMP 2 group. Multivariate analysis showed that TMP grade (P<0.001) and anterior location of myocardial infarction (P<0.001) were independent determinants of left atrial remodeling. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that poor myocardial perfusion and anterior location of myocardial infarction can affect left atrial remodeling in patients with acute myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention. It appears that adequate myocardial perfusion is crucial to prevent left atrial remodeling, a poor prognostic factor in acute myocardial infarction.     

The Relationship between coronary artery calcification as assessed by multi-detector computed tomography and arterial stiffness

Pulse wave analysis and intima-media thickness (IMT) of carotid artery are the non-invasive indicators of subclinical atherosclerosis. Coronary artery calcification (CAC) score measured by multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) is well known as a predictor of coronary heart disease (CHD). We investigated the association between coronary calcification assessed by MDCT and extracoronary atherosclerosis measured by pulse wave analysis and IMT of carotid artery. Arterial stiffness and carotid IMT were measured consecutively in 133 patients who underwent their first coronary MDCT angiography due to chest pain. Patients were divided into three groups according to the CAC score (group 1, score = 0, n = 62; group 2, 0 < score < 400, n = 58; group 3, score ≥ 400, n = 13). The classification of CAC score was associated with age, prevalence of hypertension and dyslipidemia, systolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity, percentage of brachial mean artery pressure, upstroke time (UT), augmentation index, and carotid IMT. In a multivariate analysis, age (P = .048), hypertension (P = .007), dyslipidemia (P = .24), and mean ankle UT (P = .038) were independent variables for the classification of CAC score. The UT of pulse wave was significantly associated with the CAC score. The increased UT of pulse wave might provide incremental risk prediction in addition to that defined by conventional CHD risk assessment.