Serial quantitative coronary angiography and coronary events

BACKGROUND: Although assessment of progression of atherosclerosis by quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) is used as a surrogate for coronary events, no validation study has compared the several QCA measures used. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Cholesterol Lowering Atherosclerosis Study was a clinical trial testing the efficacy of colestipol-niacin on the progression of coronary atherosclerosis. Baseline/2-year coronary angiograms were obtained on 156 men with prior coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Changes in percent diameter stenosis and minimum lumen diameter (both measured in coronary lesions and segments) and coronary segment measures of average diameter, percent involvement, and vessel edge roughness were measured by QCA. Coronary events ascertained over 12 years of follow-up included myocardial infarction (MI), coronary death, and coronary artery revascularizations. Proportional hazards models evaluated the relation between QCA change measures and coronary events. Changes in percent diameter stenosis and minimum lumen diameter of coronary artery lesions were significantly related to the risk of MI/coronary death. All QCA measures were significantly related to the risk of any coronary event. Relative risks for each QCA measure were of similar magnitude when estimated separately within each treatment group. Change in minimum lumen diameter of lesions was the only measure independently associated with the risk of coronary events. CONCLUSIONS: All QCA measures of progression of coronary artery disease were related to all coronary events (including revascularizations). Only QCA measures of lesion progression were related to MI/coronary death. QCA measures of lesion change may be better surrogate end points for "hard" coronary events than measures of change in coronary segments.     

Atherosclerosis of coronary arteries, coronary heart disease and sudden coronary death

Correlation between the severity of coronary atherosclerosis, thrombosis and sudden cardiac death was examined in 721 autopsied cases. Severe coronary atherosclerosis with stenosis was found in most of them; however a similar grade of atherosclerosis was discovered in patients with ischaemic heart disease not dying suddenly. Acute coronary thrombosis in the studied subjects was diagnosed post mortem in about 20 percent of those who died suddenly. Other studies indicate frequencies between 4-93%. There was no consistent time dependence.     

冠脉微循环与冠心病

冠心病急性心肌梗死的再灌注治疗是现代医学发展的里程碑,它使被动、保守治疗转为积极、主动的血运重建,随着包括静脉溶栓、冠状动脉内溶栓、经皮冠状动脉腔内成形术(PTCA)、冠状动脉内支架置入术以及冠状动脉搭桥术等再灌注治疗技术的成熟、普及,挽救了无数患者的生命.     

Eccentric coronary stenoses--definition and incidence in coronary angiograms

The frequency of "eccentric" stenoses was determined in 676 coronary angiograms, which proved to be useful to classify stenoses according to their position (central, eccentric), as well as to the form of residual lumen (round, not round). The results for 616 stenoses which could be evaluated for both position and form were: 30% (183/616) centrally located with round residual lumen; 10% (60/616) centrally located with no round residual lumen; 41% (255/616) eccentrically located with round residual lumen; 19% (115/616) eccentrically located with no round residual lumen. These results are in agreement with previous autopsy findings. The location and form of coronary stenoses may have different meanings: the prevalent round form of residual lumina (71% of all evaluated stenoses) may characterize a normal growing of stenoses, while no round forms might indicate complications such as ruptures with hemorrhage within plaques. The prevalent eccentric location of residual lumina (63% of all evaluated stenoses) may reflect a tendency to dynamic coronary tone within the respective coronary stenosis. This assumption is supported by similar frequencies of dilatative or constrictive responses in patients with coronary artery disease. Individual prognoses, however, with respect to coronary tone or coronary reactions cannot be predicted from morphology.     

慢性冠状动脉综合征与老年冠心病

2019年ESC发布了《2019ESC慢性冠状动脉综合征诊治指南》[1]。摒弃了以往稳定性冠心病的概念,明确提出慢性冠状动脉综合征(choroniccor-onarysyndrome,CCS)的概念。由于CCS是老年冠心病患者的主要表现形式,因此了解《2019ESC慢性冠状动脉综合征诊治指南》更新的概念内涵和诊治原则对于老年医学专科医师十分重要。1 CCS定义更新的内涵CCS是除急性冠状动脉综合征(ACS)之外的冠心病临床类型,不仅包括既往的劳力性心绞痛、缺血性心肌病、ACS后的稳定阶段(均系冠状动脉粥样硬化狭窄所致),还包括变异性心绞痛(冠状动脉血管痉挛所致)和微血管心绞痛(冠状动脉微血管病变所致)[2-5]。而相对应的是ACS,包括非ST段抬高型和ST段抬高型ACS(冠状动脉粥样硬化狭窄和急性血栓形成所致)。     

Homocysteine and coronary events in coronary disease patients

The objective of this study was to determine the prognostic value of serum homocysteine levels in patients with coronary heart disease. Homocysteine was assayed in 76 coronary patients with a mean age of 59.2 years hospitalized for myocardial ischaemia or myocardial infarction. Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty was performed in 47 (70%) of these patients during this hospitalization. The mean follow-up for these patients was 22 months (range: 11 to 67 months). In these patients, serum homocysteine levels were not correlated with the usual risk factors of coronary heart disease (age, sex, treated hypercholesterolaemia, smoking, diabetes) except for hypertension. It was strongly correlated with serum creatinine (R = 0.61; p = 0.0001). Eleven patients presented a major event during follow-up (8 deaths, 1 nonfatal myocardial infarction, 1 cardiac transplantation) and 16 underwent a revascularization procedure. The blood homocysteine level does not have any prognostic value for any coronary events. However, it is higher in patients who develop a major event than in those which do not (15.8 +/- 4 mumol/l versus 11.5 +/- 6.6 mumol/l, p = 0.05). Using multivariate analysis, taking into account age, serum creatinine and serum homocysteine, only serum homocysteine was predictive of major event-free survival (p = 0.02).     

Value of combined coronary angioplasty and coronary angiography

Combined coronary angioplasty and coronary angiography is performed in most catheter laboratories and has become a routine procedure. The aim of this study was to assess its clinical results and economic value. This was a retrospective monocenter study performed over an 11 year period (1990-2000) which included 2,727 patients requiring coronary angioplasty after coronary angiography. The angioplasty procedure was performed at the same time as angiography (combined, n = 1,809) or after angiography (deferred, n = 631). Patients admitted for acute coronary syndromes not stabilised by pharmacological interventions were excluded from the study. The comparison of these two modes of angioplasty was based on primary success rates, complications, duration of hospital stay and hospital costs. The combined procedure was used progressively more frequently over the study period, increasing from 54% to 88% in 2000. The hospital clinical results (Success and complication rates) were comparable in the two groups. The predictive factors of failure were the year of the angioplasty procedure and occlusive lesions on multivariate analysis. The combined procedure was associated with a shorter hospital stay than deferred angioplasty (8.2 +/- 6.1 days versus 15.0 +/- 8.0 days, p = 0.0001) and with lower costs. The authors conclude that combined coronary angiography-angioplasty is as effective and as safe as deferred angioplasty. It is associated with a shorter hospital stay and lower hospital costs.     

冠状动脉256排CT与冠状动脉造影对冠心病的诊断比较

目的冠状动脉256排CT成像技术与冠状动脉造影检查对冠状动脉粥样硬化性心脏病的诊断比较。方法选取2013年5月至2014年5月内蒙古兴安盟人民医院心血管内科疑似冠心病患者50例,其中男性29例,女性21例,年龄37~68岁。先行冠状动脉256排CT扫描及图像后处理,后行冠状动脉造影检查,将两结果进行对比分析。结果以冠状动脉狭窄≥50%者为阳性。冠状动脉256排CT诊断冠心病灵敏度为40.00%,特异度98.18%,阳性预测值88.89%,阴性预测值81.82%,正确指数38.18%,符合率82.67%,KAPPA值46.28%。结论冠状动脉造影诊断冠心病准确性优于冠状动脉CT。冠状动脉CT可对冠心病患者进行初筛诊断。     

定量多层螺旋CT冠状动脉成像与定量冠状动脉造影的对比研究

目的通过与同期定量冠状动脉造影(QCA)作对照,评价定量冠状动脉多层螺旋CT(QCT)成像对冠状动脉疾病的诊断价值。方法选择冠心病患者78例,利用QCA和QCT测量同一病变的最小管腔直径、最小管腔面积、参考直径、参考面积、靶病变长度、直径狭窄率、面积狭窄率等指标,比较2种方法结果的相关性及一致性。结果 78例患者中,存在明显冠状动脉病变62例(79.49%),QCT和QCA一致认为重度狭窄(>75%)的节段共为47段,其中右冠状动脉1 5段,前降支27段,回旋支5段。QCT和QCA测量的最小管腔面积、面积狭窄率比较,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05),2种测量最小管腔直径、参考直径、参考面积、靶病变长度和直径狭窄率的比较,差并均无统计学意义(P>0.05)。QCT和QCA测量最小管腔直径,靶病变长度,参考直径,参考面积,直径狭窄率一致性较好(0.5≤r_c≤0.85),最小管腔面积、面积狭窄率则一致性不佳(r_c<0.5)。结论 QCT检查能良好评价冠状动脉病变.可用于术前即可指导对经皮冠状动脉介入治疗中球囊和支架的选择。     

Combined dissection of the right coronary artery and right coronary cusp during coronary angiography

Dissection of coronary arteries during diagnostic coronary angiography is infrequent; dissection of the coronary cusp is extremely rare. The combination of coronary artery and coronary cusp dissection has not been reported previously. A case of right coronary artery dissection and right coronary cusp dissection during diagnostic coronary angiography is described. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Biomarkers in acute coronary syndrome and percutaneous coronary intervention

The universal definition of myocardial infarction has proved how important the role of biomarkers in the assessment of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has become. As a result, management of patients with ACS today is more specific and personalized than ever, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. Unmet needs for a faster and more specific rule-in and rule-out of myocardial infarction, for a pronounced risk assessment allowing for standardized guidelines on personalized therapy and for an effective monitoring of our therapeutic efforts to guarantee an optimal risk-benefit turnout still require intensive biomarker research and clinical validation. This review addresses a set of cardiovascular biomarkers with different pathophysiological backgrounds and discusses their diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic value in the setting of ACS and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The article provides a review of the current knowledge and literature on biomarkers in ACS and PCI, discussing currently used biomarkers like cardiac troponin (cTN), high sensitive cardiac troponin (hscTn), natriuretic peptides (NPs) as well as promising future biomarkers like copeptin, choline and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (LP-PLA2). The review concentrates on the clinical application of these markers, evaluating not only their diagnostic and prognostic value but also their integrability into routine practice. There are currently a number of new biomarkers and new biomarker assays under investigation which give hope for a much improved diagnostic and risk stratification process. Large diagnostic clinical trials are still needed to evaluate their impact on ACS patient management and subsequent PCI in clinical practice.