Echocardiographic Evaluation of External Iliac Artery Doppler Waveform in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Visual interpretation of the Doppler waveform in the common femoral or distal external iliac artery (EIA) was reported to be useful in screening for proximal peripheral artery occlusive disease (PAOD) in patients with lower limb ischemia. Commonly patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) referred for echocardiography have coexistent arterial pathology. Therefore, we decided to study whether echocardiographic evaluation of the distal EIA flow can be useful for detection of PAOD in patients with CAD. We studied 150 consecutive patients (pts) with CAD referred for echocardiography. At the end of an echocardiographic examination, evaluation of the flow in the distal EIA with an echocardiographic probe was performed. The Doppler waveform was classified as normal—with early diastolic flow reversal or abnormal–without early diastolic flow reversal. Echocardiographic findings were compared in a blinded fashion with the results of the ankle brachial index measurements (ABI). Based on the ABI ≤ 0.9, peripheral artery disease was diagnosed in 54 pts (36%) and abnormal external iliac Doppler waveform was found in 27 pts (18%). Sensitivity of abnormal external iliac Doppler waveform in predicting PAOD was 48%, specificity 99%, positive predictive value (PPV) 96%, and negative predictive value 77%. Peripheral arterial occlusive disease is common in patients with CAD referred for echocardiographic study. Echocardiographic assessment of distal EIA Doppler waveform has low sensitivity, but high specificity and high PPV in the diagnosis of peripheral arterial occlusive disease.     

Coronary Calcification in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease and Coronary Artery Disease

Background and objectives: A close linkage between chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been demonstrated. Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is considered to be the causal link connecting them. The aim of the study is to determine the relationship between level of kidney function and the prevalence of CAC.Design, setting, participants, & measurements: Autopsy subjects known to have coronary artery disease and a wide range of kidney function were studied. Patients without CKD were classified into five groups depending on estimated GFR (eGFR) and proteinuria: eGFR ≥60 ml/min/1.73 m² without proteinuria; CKD1/2: eGFR ≥60 ml/min/1.73 m² with proteinuria; CKD3: 60 ml/min/1.73 m² >eGFR ≥30 ml/min/1.73 m²; CKD4/5: eGFR <30 ml/min/1.73 m²; and CKD5D: on hemodialysis. Intimal and medial calcification of the coronary arteries was evaluated. Risk factors for CVD and uremia were identified as relevant to CAC using logistic regression analysis.Results: Intimal calcification of plaques was present in all groups, but was most frequent and severe in the CKD5D group and less so in the CKD4/5 and CKD3 groups. Risk factors included luminal stenosis, age, smoking, diabetes, calcium-phosphorus product, inflammation, and kidney function. Medial calcification was seen in a small number of CKD4/5 and CKD5D groups. Risk factors were use of calcium-containing phosphate binders, hemodialysis treatment, and duration.Conclusions: It was concluded that CAC was present in the intimal plaque of both nonrenal and renal patients. Renal function and traditional risks were linked to initimal calcification. Medial calcification occurred only in CKD patients.Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the main cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) (1,2) or chronic kidney disease (CKD) (3–7). The mechanisms underlying this increased cardiovascular risk are not clearly understood. In the general population, traditional risk factors for CVD have been well characterized (8), and these are also present in CKD (3–6,9). The mechanisms involved in the connection between CKD and CVD are probably numerous (3–6). Vascular calcification, such as coronary artery calcification (CAC) (10,11), is considered to be the causal link between them.Vascular calcification is common in physiologic and pathologic conditions such as aging, diabetes, dyslipidemia, genetic diseases, and diseases with disturbances of calcium metabolism (12–14). In CKD patients, vascular calcification is even more common, developing early and contributing to the markedly increased cardiovascular risk. Pathomorphologically, atherosclerosis (plaque-forming degenerative changes of the aorta and of large elastic arteries) and arteriosclerosis (concentric medial thickening and hyalinosis of muscular arteries) can be distinguished. Increased knowledge about the mechanisms of calcification together with improved imaging techniques have provided evidence that vascular calcification should be divided into two distinct entities according to the specific site of calcification within the vascular wall: plaque calcification, involving patchy calcification of the intima in the vicinity of lipid or cholesterol deposits, and calcification of the media in the absence of such lipid or cholesterol deposits, known as Mönckeberg-type atherosclerosis (12–14). These two types of calcification may vary in terms of the type of vessel affected, the location along the arterial tree (proximal versus distal), clinical presentation, and treatment and prognosis (12–14). In the general population and in patients with CKD, electron-beam computed tomography (EBCT) has proven CAC as a potent predictor of cardiac events (15–18). Both the prevalence and intensity of CAC are increased in patients with CKD (19–27). Several studies have been undertaken to investigate whether calcification occurs in the intima or media of the coronaries and whether the morphologic details of calcified plaques differ between renal and nonrenal patients (12–14,24). Causal elements for either type of CAC have not been definitively determined (12–14).Autopsy studies are limited in terms of patient selection, but have a major advantage in terms of being able to distinguish intimal from medial calcification. Therefore, our primary goal is to determine whether, among autopsy subjects known to have CAD, there exists a direct relationship between level of kidney function and the prevalence of intimal or medial calcification.     

冠状动脉内支架置入术治疗老年患者复杂冠状动脉病变

目的　探讨经皮冠状动脉腔内支架置入术治疗老年患者复杂性冠状动脉病变的疗效及安全性。方法对 4 5例冠心病患者施行冠状动脉内支架置入术 ,病变血管共 5 8支 ,B型病变 4 9处 ,C型病变 1 3处 ,慢性完全闭塞病变 4处 ,共置入支架 64只。置入左前降支 2 7只 ,左回旋支 1 3只 ,右冠状动脉 2 4只。De Novo支架置入 4 4只 ,Suboptimal支架置入 1 5只 ,Bail-out支架置入 3只 ,再狭窄病变支架置入 2只。结果　术后经冠状动脉造影证实疗效满意 ,支架置入成功率为 98.4 %。术前病变平均直径狭窄 (86.5± 7.8) % ,术后残余直径狭窄 (5 .1± 1 0 .3 ) %。住院期间无亚急性支架血栓形成。 1例出现假性动脉瘤 ,1例在术中及术后出现三次心室颤动 ,4例患者术后心绞痛复发 ,复查冠状动脉造影发现了 3个支架节段血管有再狭窄。结论　对于老年冠心病患者复杂冠状动脉病变 ,经皮冠状动脉内支架置入术是一种安全有效的介入性治疗技术 ,其成功率高 ,并发症发生率低     

Hypertensive Goals in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

There are many prospective clinical trials that have examined cardiovascular outcomes over the past 2 decades. Trials completed within the last 5?years clearly indicate that overall cardiovascular risk is reduced by blood pressure lowering to levels below 140/90?mm Hg. Greater cardiovascular risk reduction is not seen, however, by driving blood pressure to levels well below 130/80?mm Hg. This is true across the spectrum of cardio-renal risk with few exceptions, stroke prevention possibly being one. Further there should be an awareness that outcome studies performed within the last decade will not have the same risk reduction of a given class of antihypertensive drug previously tested. This is primarily due to an improved standard of care that was not present in trials of a decade ago and thus, more recent trials have lower cardiovascular risk at baseline. Lastly, new guidelines will most likely change the goal blood pressure to <140/90?mm Hg as all data support this level. Lastly, the caution of lowering diastolic blood pressure below 60?mm Hg especially in the elderly must be avoided to minimize reductions in coronary perfusion.     

Coronary Artery Disease in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis

Background The prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) has been reported to be low in patients with liver cirrhosis. Previous studies have, however, included mostly patients with cirrhosis due to hepatitis C. We aimed to determine the prevalence and predictive factors of CAD in a cohort of consecutive patients with cirrhosis of various etiologies compared to the general population. Methods A total of 127 patients with cirrhosis were evaluated for a history of CAD and cardiovascular risk factors. Arterial blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, and serum cholesterol were measured. Nutritional status was assessed by anthropometry and estimation of recent weight change. A group of 203 subjects from the general population with similar age and gender distribution, as well as smoking habits as the cirrhotic patients, served as controls. Results CAD was more common in cirrhotics compared to controls (20% vs. 12%, P = 0.001). Compared to controls, cirrhotics had lower mean arterial blood pressure and serum cholesterol and a higher prevalence of diabetes, but did not differ significantly in the prevalence of hypertension or family history for CAD. In regression analysis, CAD was independently related to diabetes (odds ratio [OR] 5.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.44–12.28), but not to liver cirrhosis. In the cirrhosis group, only alcoholic cirrhosis (OR 9.50, 95% CI 1.08–83.4) and age (OR 1.23 per year, 95% CI 1.06–1.43) were independently related to CAD. Conclusions Liver cirrhosis, per se, does not seem to confer a protective effect against CAD. In cirrhotics, older age and alcoholic etiology were independently related to CAD.     

Coronary Artery Disease Severity and Cardiovascular Biomarkers in Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease

Cardiovascular mortality in peripheral artery disease (PAD) patients is higher in critical limb ischemia (CLI) than in intermittent claudication (IC). We sought to evaluate differential characteristics of coronary artery disease (CAD) severity and prognostic biomarkers for cardiovascular events between CLI and IC patients. Coronary angiography was performed on 242 PAD patients (age 73 ± 8 years) with either CLI or IC. High-sensitivity troponin T (hs-TnT), eicosapentaenoic acid–arachidonic acid ratio (EPA/AA), and lipoprotein(a), as biomarkers for prognostic factors, were measured from blood samples. The study patients were divided into a CLI-group (n = 42) and IC-group (n = 200). The Gensini score as an indicator of coronary angiographic severity was higher in the CLI-group than in the IC-group (39.1 ± 31.2 vs. 8.5 ± 8.3, p < 0.0001). Hs-TnT and lipoprotein(a) values were higher in the CLI-group than in the IC-group (0.152 ± 0.186 ng/mL vs. 0.046 ± 0.091, p < 0.0001, 45.9 ± 23.3 mg/dL vs. 26.2 ± 27.7, p = 0.0002, respectively) and EPA/AA was lower in the CLI-group than in the IC-group (0.22 ± 0.11 vs. 0.38 ± 0.29, p = 0.0049, respectively). Greater CAD severity, higher hs-TnT, and lipoprotein(a), and lower EPA/AA were observed in the CLI-group, which may explain higher cardiovascular events in patients with CLI.     

Coronary Artery Disease Risk in Patients with Congenital Heart Disease

As the congenital heart disease population ages, coronary artery disease may emerge as a significant comorbidity. This presents a new problem to cardiologists caring for an aging population that did not previously exist. Various congenital heart defects are likely at higher risk for the development of coronary artery disease including congenital coronary artery anomalies, defect with abnormal coronary artery connections to the ventricles, and conotruncal anomalies that require coronary artery reimplantation. The impact of coronary artery disease on this population remains to be seen.     

早发冠心病患者危险因素与冠状动脉病变的关系

目的探讨早发冠心病患者吸烟与冠状动脉病变的关系及其意义。方法选取经冠状动脉造影确诊的PCAD患者270例,其中男性158例、女性112例,采集患者吸烟史（吸烟年数、每日吸烟支数）、血脂水平（HDL—C、LDL—C、TG、TC）,记录患者冠状动脉造影结果。同时进行相关性分析。结果吸烟指数与冠状动脉慢血流之间存在正相关（r=0．156,P〈0．05）;HDL—C与吸烟指数及Gensini积分均呈负相关（r=-0．136、-0．156,均P〈0．01）;吸烟指数与Gensini积分之间无线性相关关系（r=0．084,P〉0．05）。结论早发冠心病患者吸烟与HDL—C水平下降和冠状动脉慢血流现象相关。     

Treatment of Patients with Left Main Coronary Artery Disease

Considering lesion priority and its clinical consequences, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has been a treatment of choice for revascularization in patients with significant left main coronary artery (LMCA) disease, However, with remarkable advancements in techniques of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), supporting devices, and adjunctive pharmacologic therapy, PCI with stenting has emerged to be a less invasive and feasible revascularization treatment for these patients. The cumulative evidence suggests that the safety outcomes such as mortality or composite of death, myocardial infarction, and stroke are similar among PCI and CABG, with the only difference being the rate of repeat revascularization. Based on these data, the current guideline of revascularization of LMCA disease has adopted an increasing off-label experience with stenting and clinical studies and been updated to partly approve PCI as a viable alternative (in level of class IIb) in selected patients. The choice of PCI or CABG for unprotected LMCA disease depends on several clinical and anatomic features, ensuring crucial patient selection to be a cornerstone for achieving favorable long-term outcomes. In patients with very complex anatomic features and concomitant diffuse multivessel disease, CABG is preferred so as to avoid procedural and future thrombotic risks and to provide more complete revascularization. By contrast, in patients with relatively simple LMCA disease, such as ostial/shaft LMCA disease, isolated LMCA disease (with or without one or two-vessel involvement), and LMCA disease with low SYNTAX score, PCI is an alternative, and in some cases a preferred, strategy to reduce surgical risks (eg, stroke and in-hospital events following major surgery). For the future, ongoing large clinical trials might also boost interventional cardiologists to select PCI with stenting as an alternative revascularization strategy for unprotected LMCA disease. This evidence will most likely change the current clinical practice and guidelines of optimal revascularization strategy for unprotected LMCA disease.     

Prevalence of Coronary Artery Disease in Patients with Valvular Heart Disease

ABSTRACT. To evaluate the usefulness of preoperative coronary angiography in patients undergoing preoperative investigation because of valvular heart disease, we performed coronary angiography in a consecutive series of 329 patients. The prevalence of significant coronary artery disease was 32%. Asymptomatic coronary artery disease was present in 13%. Angina pectoris proved to be a poor predictor of coronary artery disease in aortic valve disease. In mitral valve disease, however, the specificity was high. A cost-benefit calculation was carried out in order to assess what advantage routine coronary angiography might have. According to this, coronary angiography should be performed in all patients suffering from valvular heart disease with angina pectoris, whereas it can be omitted in younger patients without angina. A cut-off point of 60 years seems appropriate for aortic valve disease and 65 years for mitral valve disease.     

冠状动脉支架术对冠心病患者血小板活化功能的影响

目的探讨冠心病患者行冠状动脉内支架置入术前后血小板活化指标的变化,了解冠心病不同临床类型支架置入数与血小板活化指标之间的关系。方法利用流式细胞术和单克隆抗体测定48例稳定型心绞痛、45例不稳定型心绞痛患者与37例急性心肌梗死患者外周血中血小板膜糖蛋白CD62p、CD63和凝血酶敏感蛋白的阳性表达率,并与45例冠状动脉造影正常者作对照分析。结果稳定型心绞痛患者、不稳定型心绞痛患者和急性心肌梗死患者支架置入后CD62p、CD63和凝血酶敏感蛋白的阳性表达率均显著高于支架置入前(P<0.01);不稳定型心绞痛组和急性心肌梗死组治疗前亦高于对照组(P<0.01),而稳定型心绞痛组治疗前与对照组比较差异无显著性(P>0.05)。稳定型心绞痛组和不稳定型心绞痛组CD62p、CD63和凝血酶敏感蛋白的阳性表达率与支架置入个数有关,置入支架越多阳性表达率越高。结论不稳定型心绞痛患者及急性心肌梗死患者存在血小板高活化状态、动脉粥样硬化斑块破裂以及急性血栓形成。支架置入术对冠状动脉内皮的损伤加强了血小板的活化,增加了血栓形成的风险。     

冠心病病人血清脂联素水平的探讨

目的探讨冠心病病人血清脂联素的水平及其与肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF—α）、胰岛素之间的关系。方法38例冠心病病人和52名健康对照者常规测量体重、身高，计算体重指数。抽取空腹静脉血检测其血糖、血脂、空腹胰岛素、TNF-α、脂联素水平。结果冠心病组血清脂联素水平显著低于对照组，血清脂联素水平与TNF-α、空腹胰岛素、空腹血糖、三酰甘油呈负相关，与高密度脂蛋白胆固醇呈正相关。结论在冠心病病人中，脂联水平下降并与动脉粥样硬化之间存在一定的相关性。     

Helicobacter pylori Seroprevalence in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Recent studies have suggested that chronic infections such as Helicobacter pylori may be a risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of thIS study was to investigate the seroprevalence of H. pylori in patients with CAD. We enrolled 151 patients with CAD (93 men and 58 women, aged 48.1 ± 17.3 years [mean ± SD]) and 149 control subjects matched by age and sex (90 men and 59 women, aged 51.4 ± 13.9 years). An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay immunoglobulin (Ig) G test for H. pylori diagnosis was performed on all enrolled subjects (CAD patients and controls). Ninety-one of 151 patients with CAD (60.2%) and 86 of the 149 subjects in the control group (57.7%) were H. pylori positive (P > 0.05). H. pylori infection rates were similar in patients with CAD and control groups. The main conclusion of this study is that H. pylori infection is not a risk factor for developing CAD. Further studies should be undertaken to confirm our results.     

Coronary Flow Reserve and Glycemic Variability in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Objective Glycemic variability is being increasingly recognized as an early indicator of glucose metabolic disorder and may contribute to the development of diabetic vascular complications, such as coronary microvascular dysfunction. The present study sought to investigate the relationship between coronary microvascular function assessed by intracoronary thermodilution method and glycemic variability on a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS). Methods We prospectively enrolled 40 patients with or without known diabetes mellitus who had epicardial coronary artery disease referred for coronary angiography and were not treated with diabetic medications. Of these, two had a significant stenosis in the left main coronary artery and were therefore excluded from the analyses. In the end, 38 patients were equipped with a CGMS and underwent intracoronary physiological assessments in the unobstructed left anterior descending artery. The mean amplitude of glycemic excursion (MAGE) and standard deviation were calculated from the obtained CGMS data as indicators of glucose variability. Results Coronary flow reserve (CFR) was negatively correlated with MAGE (r=-0.328, p=0.044) and standard deviation (r=-0.339, p=0.037) on CGMS, while the index of microcirculatory resistance showed no such correlation. Multivariable linear regression analyses showed that MAGE on CGMS was significantly associated with CFR after adjusting for age, sex, fractional flow reserve and hemoglobin A1c. Conclusion Higher MAGE on CGMS was associated with reduced CFR in stable patients with coronary artery disease, suggesting a potential effect of glycemic variability on coronary microvascular flow regulation. A further study with a larger sample size needs to be conducted to confirm our findings.     

Prevalence and Predictors of Renal Artery Stenosis in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Renal artery stenosis (RAS) is a strong independent predictor of mortality in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). The study aimed to determine the prevalence of RAS in patients with significant CAD in order to develop and validate a score predicting RAS. Three hundred consecutive patients (50 females) with significant CAD underwent abdominal aortography following coronary angiography to screen for significant RAS defined as luminal narrowing of 50% or more. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed comparing patients with and without RAS. Significant factors associated with RAS were included in constructing a score that predicts RAS. The score was internally validated in patients randomly selected from the entire study group (validation group; n = 103), using ROC curves and the Hosmer–Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test. Twenty-seven patients (9%) had a significant RAS. Multivariate analysis showed that age over 65 years (OR = 4.1%, 95% CI = 1.6-10.3, p = 0.003) and hypertension (OR = 3.1, 95% CI = 1.2–7.7, p = 0.015) were independent predictors of RAS. The predictive score including these two variables and three others (female gender, renal and insufficiency, and more than 2- or 3-vessel disease) ranged from 0 to 7. Internal validation showed a good performance (ROC curve = 0.79 and χ² Lemeshow = 3.45). For a score of less than 2, the negative predictive value is 98%. The rate of significant RAS in patients with significant CAD was 9%. The performance of our predictive score was good, and significant reduction in the need to perform systematic abdominal aortography could be expected with the use of this score.