Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty without thrombolytic therapy in acute myocardial infarction

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was performed in 42 patients (37 males, 5 females, average age 53 years). Recanalization of the stenosed or occluded infarction-related coronary artery was achieved within the first 14 to 50 min from the start of catheterization in 95% of cases. Three patients were transferred for emergency coronary bypass graft surgery (CABG) because of major multiple coronary lesions, immediately after angiographically successful PTCA. One of the patients died in cardiogenic shock. Four patients died between days 5 to 15 of hospitalization. Repeat coronary angiography was done in 27 of the 37 survivors at a mean interval of 2.5 months after AMI. Total reocclusion was found in 6 patients. The recanalized coronary artery had prevented its patency in 78% of the cases; restenosis was found in 5 patients, and was successfully dealt with renewed angioplasty in 3 patients. While the ejection fraction (EF) had remained largely unchanged, there was some improving tendency of left ventricular segmental kinetics, particularly in case of anterior wall infarction. PTCA without thrombolytic therapy seems to provide an effective and relatively prompt recanalizing procedure in the complex management of AMI.     

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in a child with Kawasaki disease.

A successful attempt at percutaneous transluminanl coronary angioplasty (PTCA) to relieve stenosis of the mid-portion of the left anterior descending artery was achieved in a 6-year 9-month old boy who had multiple coronary aneurysms and stenosis due to Kawasaki disease. Despite the progression of coronary stenosis he had been well except for the perfusion defect of the anterior wall of myocardium on 99mTc-MIBI SPECT with dipyridamole infusion until PTCA was carried out after 4-year 4-months of the onset of illness. The area of stenosis was 70% before PTCA and 20% after PTCA. No restenosis at the site of PTCA was observed on follow-up angiography at 26 months after PTCA. This successful attempt may indicate that this procedure should be considered early in subclinical stenosis to prevent ischemic cardiac damage.     

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in peripheral arterial occlusive disease

Non-surgical recanalization of arterial obstructions has gained world wide acceptance since the development of the balloon dilatation catheter by Gruentzig. The indication for this treatment depends on the clinical stage of the disease, on the location and extension of the occlusion and on the general clinical situation of the patient. Ideal situations with excellent short- and long-term results are stenoses of the iliac arteries and stenoses and short occlusions of the femoropopliteal arteries, whereas treatment of long occlusions of this region is less successful. Definite recommendations concerning additional medical therapy to improve the early and longterm patency rate cannot be given because of lacking studies. The most important advantage of PTA--compared to surgical recanalization--is the lower complication rate. A further improvement of early and late results can be expected by the combined use of different non-surgical recanalization procedures.     

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty of focal coronary lesions after cardiac transplantation

Summary Transplant coronary artery disease is the greatest impediment to long-term survival beyond the first year after cardiac transplantation. Transplant coronary artery disease shows a heterogeneous angiographic appearance, but focal stenoses can occur alone or at least predominate. Based on an angiographic indication 35 critical focal lesions causing narrowing by 75% or more were treated by PTCA during 23 procedures in seven patients 18–84 months after cardiac transplantation. Three patients each underwent only one procedure and four underwent repeated procedures [2, 3, 4 and 11, respectively]. Primary success was achieved without any complication in 35 of 35 lesions (100%). The mean degree of stenosis was reduced from 86±9% to 28±17% (P<0.001). The rate of restenosis was 18/29 (62%) at a mean of 4 months after angioplasty. Four patients are alive and free of adverse effects (symptoms, myocardial infarction, repeated percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, retransplantation) 16±10 months after their last angioplasty. One patient underwent a successful second heart transplantation 26 months after the first angioplasty. Two patients died, 1 and 31 months after the last angioplasty. In conclusion, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty can be performed safely with an excellent primary success rate in critical focal transplant coronary artery disease. The rate of restenosis is higher than in native coronary artery disease. Long-term follow-up depends on the individually variable accelerated nature of graft atherosclerosis.Abbreviations PTCA percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty - TxCAD transplant coronary artery disease - HTX heart transplantation - LAD left anterior decending artery - CFX circumflex artery - RCA right coronary artery     

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty guidewire-induced coronary artery dissection without balloon inflation

A case of arterial dissection of the right coronary artery secondary to angioplasty guidewire manipulation is presented. No balloon inflation was performed. The histologic appearance of the involved arterial segment was similar to that found in the left anterior descending coronary artery, which had undergone successful balloon dilatation. Both arteries demonstrated medial disruption and fibrointimal proliferation. The pathologic features of angioplasty-induced vascular injury may occur with or without balloon inflation.     

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty: morphological findings in 3 patients

Little morphologic information is available on the status of the major epicardial coronary arteries in patients dying after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. We studied hearts from 3 men (aged 60, 45 and 47 years) dying 3 days, 1 month and 7 months after balloon--dilatation of obstructed coronary artery segments. Twice the left anterior, once the left main coronary artery have been desobliterated. In one patient the procedure has not been successful and a venous bypass graft had to be implanted. Histologically the site of dilatation is clearly recognisable after 7 months. The characteristic findings are intimal tears in the segment opposite to the obstructing plaque. The intimal gaps are filled after 7 months by a neointima. In the dilated left main coronary we find 1 month after angioplasty an extensive proliferation of smooth muscle cells resulting in restenosis. Two patients died suddenly after an interval without angina. In the third patient--ome hours after bypass grafting--spasm of the non-involved right coronary artery occurred resulting in inferior infarction; this patient died 3 days after dilatation.     

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty - Histopathological analysis of nine necropsy cases

Summary From 1982 to 1984 nine of 300 patients undergoing transluminal coronary angioplasty died. The nine coronary arteries and one saphenous aorto-coronary by-pass graft affected by angioplasty were studied by light microscopy. The following types of lesions were found, frequently in association: rupture of the plaque, circumscribed or reaching to the intimal layer or extending beyond it, dissections (fissures) between arterial layers, intra-plaque haemorrhage, plaque emboli and thrombosis. In two cases the therapeutic approach was considered to be clinically and pathologically successful; the patients survived 24 h (case 6) and forty days (case 4). Case 6 which presented recent lesions indicative of success showed, in contrast with the other non-successful cases, rupture affecting not only the initimal layer but also deeper structures of the arterial wall. There were also more extensive fissures. Case 4 which presented late alterations indicative of success showed a plaque fracture whose borders were kept apart by fibrous tissue. In conclusion, we believe that angioplasty allows the re-establishment of arterial blood flow by provoking deep intimal and medial rupture producing a small fissure between the arterial layers and a widening of the lumen; in cases with good late results these alterations cicatrize leaving a wider arterial lumen.     

The cost of underutilization. Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty for peripheral vascular disease

Despite the considerable literature on the overuse of new medical technologies, little attention has been paid to the biologic and monetary costs that may be incurred by underuse. Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty as a treatment for peripheral vascular disease is an example of an important technology that has been underused. Although angioplasty alone is less costly but also less efficacious than surgery, a strategy that combines the two procedures (angioplasty first, then surgery if angioplasty is unsuccessful or if occlusion recurs) is uniformly superior to surgery alone in patients who have lesions for which angioplasty can be considered. From a nationwide perspective, if 40 per cent of all patients with iliac or femoral disease (or both) requiring intervention were treated with the combined strategy, there would be an estimated savings (as compared with surgery alone) of 352 lives and $82 million, as well as an additional 5006 patent limbs. Despite these advantages, the use of angioplasty during the period under consideration (up to 1980) was limited, possibly because of the mechanism of patient triage and the inertial forces that operate when a therapeutic method that appears effective--even if more complex and hazardous than a newer approach--has been widely applied.     

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty against arteriosclerosis obliterans in dialysis patients

The incidence of peripheral arteriosclerosis is on the increase in chronic hemodialysis patients. Recently, the intervention (IV) treatment is conducted to deal with this problem. IV was performed in 4 dialysis patients against the complication of arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO) but the result was unsuccessful in 3 of them. These 3 failure cases were investigated to find the problems associated with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA). Cases 1, 2 and 3 had intermittent claudication while case 4 had gangrenous toes as the major complaint. The symptoms in these cases were attributable to 90-100% stenosis and occlusion of superficial femoral artery, bilateral iliac arteries, bilateral superficial femoral-popliteal artery, branch of right iliac artery and left iliac artery region, respectively. IV was successful in case 1 but failed in cases 2 and 4 because the catheter itself did not go through due to the severe stenosis of vessel or the procedure of forcefully dilating the vessel caused dispersion of minute thrombi. In case 3, acute myocardial infarction occurred at 10 h after successful IV, resulting in sudden death. In view of the extent of invasion, IV is a treatment method selected against ASO in dialysis patients. However, the method has a high risk of causing thrombus formation, vessel rupture and organ failure. In this regard, it is advisable to evaluate the systemic condition and conduct IV if the extent of stenosis is mild.     

Coronary artery restenosis following transluminal coronary angioplasty

Morphological changes are described in a case of coronary restenosis occurring three and ten months after transluminal coronary angioplasty. The lesions consisted of severe narrowing of the previously mechanically dilated coronary segments. This narrowing was produced by fibrocellular intimal hyperplasia associated with rupture of the media whereas the atheromatous plaque was not involved. This suggests that medial injury associated with healing intimal hyperplasia could be the major factor resulting in late coronary restenosis.