An evidence‐based approach to the use of rotational and directional coronary atherectomy in the era of drug‐eluting stents: When does it make sense?

Advances in percutaneous interventions have profoundly changed the way we manage patients with coronary and peripheral arterial disease. Though the use of stents, particularly drug‐eluting stents, is the preferred method for revascularization because of ease of use and lower restenosis rates, there are many short comings. Ostial and bifurcation lesions as well as heavily calcified and tortuous arteries remain problematic. Mechanical debulking with rotational and direct coronary atherectomy may be beneficial in these situations. In this review, we present the general concepts of mechanical debulking and attempt to summarize the available data on its use in the setting of drug‐eluting stents. In addition, we will discuss its special role in the management of peripheral arterial disease. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

A novel microcoring technology: A completely new concept of enlarged pore treatment

Background

Enlarged facial pores are a common dermatological and cosmetic concern, which are difficult to treat because their pathogenesis is multifactorial. Many technological treatments have been developed to treat enlarged pores. Despite these efforts, enlarged pores remain problematic for many patients.

Objectives

Microcoring technology has recently been developed to treat pores and serve as a leading primary treatment option to address these concerns.

Methods

Three patients underwent a single treatment of rotational fractional resection. The 0.5 mm diameter rotating scalpels were used to resect the skin pores in the cheek region. The resected site was evaluated 30 days after treatment, and the patients underwent scanning in bilateral 45° views at 60 cm from the face with the same brightness setting.

Results

The three patients improved in terms of enlarged pores and had no severe skin-related adverse effects. Furthermore, the three patients showed satisfactory treatment outcomes after 30 days of follow-up.

Conclusion

Rotational fractional resection is a new concept that produces measurable permanent results for enlarged pore removal. These cosmetic procedures produced promising outcomes in a single treatment. However, the current clinical procedures trend demands minimally invasive treatment for enlarged pores.     

创新人才培养模式加强临床医学本科生培养与管理

论述了温州医学院附属第一医院以办“社会化住院医师轮训班”为契机,创建新型人才培养模式,加强对临床医学本科毕业生的培养与管理的具体做法;总结了医院通过做好毕业后医学教育工作,在提高临床医学本科毕业生的业务素质、职业道德水平、参与市场竞争能力,以及通过二次分配提高基层的医疗服务水平等方面取得的成效。     

Optimal treatment of nonaorto ostial coronary lesions in large vessels: acute and long-term results.

Percutaneous interventions of nonaorto ostial coronary lesions are usually complex, often requiring a combined approach of debulking and stenting, insertion of multiple guidewires and long procedure duration. Debulking with atherectomy device preserves side-branch patency by reducing plaque shift while coronary stenting minimizes vessel recoil and restenosis. We retrospectively evaluated the acute and long-term results of rotational atherectomy (group R, n = 94), coronary stenting (group S, n = 39), and combination of rotational atherectomy and stenting (group R-S, n = 59) in a total of 192 patients with nonaorto ostial lesions. The number of patients with diabetes mellitus and rest angina was significantly higher in groups S and R-S. Clinical success rates were high and procedural complication rates were low and comparable in all three groups. Despite the similar reference vessel size and preprocedure minimal lumen diameter (MLD), postprocedure MLD showed a trend toward larger lumen in groups S (3.15 +/- 0.18 mm) and R-S (3.21 +/- 0.16 mm). Group S had significantly higher incidence of side-branch narrowing (30.7%), requiring intervention (15.4%). At long-term follow-up (mean of 9 +/- 4 months), target lesion revascularization rate was significantly lower in groups R-S (11.9%) and S (15.4%) compared to group R (28.9%; P = 0.02). Our nonrandomized data suggest that stenting with or without rotational atherectomy provides the best long-term approach for the interventional treatment of nonaorto ostial coronary lesions. The clinical benefit and cost effectiveness of performing rotational atherectomy before stent implantation to reduce the incidence of side-branch closure requires further study.