Very long-term follow-up after aortic stenting for coarctation of the aorta.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Stent implantation is the preferred treatment in older children and adults with aortic coarctation (CoA). We aimed to determine the incidence of very late events after CoA stenting. METHODS: We analyzed a cohort of CoA patients who underwent stent implantation at our center between 1993 and 2018. Patients were periodically followed up in outpatient clinics, including computed tomography (CT) and fluoroscopy assessment. RESULTS: A total of 167 patients with CT and fluoroscopy data were included: 83 (49.7%) were aged ≤ 12 years and 46 (28%) were female. The mean clinical follow-up time was 17±8 (range 4-30) years and the mean time to CT/fluoroscopy was 11±7 years. Aortic aneurysm was present in 13% and was associated with the PALMAZ stent (OR, 3.09; 95%CI, 1.11-9.49; P=.036) and the stented length (OR, 0.94; 95%CI, 0.89-0.99; P=.039). Stent fracture was frequent (34%), but was not related to the presence of aneurysm. Stent fracture was associated with young age (OR, 3.57; 95%CI, 1.54-8.33; P=.003), male sex (OR, 4.00; 95%CI, 1.51-12.5, P=.008) and inversely with the PALMAZ stent (OR, 0.29; 95%CI, 0.12-0.67, P=.005). Reintervention was lower in adults (10%), mainly related to aneurysms. Those treated when aged ≤ 12 years had higher reintervention rates (43%) due to recoarctation somatic growth. CONCLUSIONS: This long-term follow-up study of CoA patients treated with stenting revealed a significant incidence of late events. Reintervention rates were higher in patients treated at younger ages. Periodic imaging surveillance appears to be advisable.

Restenosis After Everolimus-eluting Vascular Scaffolding. Angiographic and Optical Coherence Tomography Characterization.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Coronary restenosis after bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) implantation is infrequent and little information is available on the main characteristics of these lesions. The aim of this study was to assess restenotic lesions by using optical coherence tomography (OCT). METHODS: We studied 330 patients with coronary artery disease who received 398 BVS to treat 380 lesions. These patients were clinically and angiographically evaluated at follow-up and OCT was carried out on detection of restenosis. RESULTS: After a follow-up of 19 ± 10 months, 18 restenotic lesions were detected in 17 patients (5.4%). Depending on the time of presentation, most cases of restenosis were late or very late (9 ± 4 months). The most frequent angiographic pattern was focal restenosis in 12 (67%) patients, which was mainly located at the proximal border in 9 (75%) whether involving the scaffold or not. The homogeneous pattern was infrequent, occurring in 3 (25%) lesions and was only visualized in 3 out of 6 cases of restenosis located at the margin. When the focal restenosis was located in the platform, OCT showed a heterogeneous or layered pattern. Finally, diffuse restenosis was observed in 6 patients (33%). In diffuse restenosis, OCT revealed a lipid-laden or layered tissue structure and the presence of microvessels or microcalcification, potentially suggesting a neoatherosclerotic process. CONCLUSIONS: After a mean follow-up of 19 months, the restenosis rate was 5.4%. Most restenotic lesions were focal, located at the proximal border. Diffuse restenosis mostly occurred late or very late and most showed signs suggestive of neoatherosclerosis.

Patency of coronary side branches covered by an everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold: clinical outcomes and computed tomography scan follow-up.

AIMS: The behaviour of side branches (SBs) covered by a bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) is not well known. This study analysed the rate of side branch occlusion (SBO) immediately after BVS implantation, its clinical impact, predictors of SBO and the fate of such SBs at follow-up. METHODS AND RESULTS: We assessed 140 patients with 346 jeopardised SBs divided into three groups: small (<1 mm, n=181), intermediate (1-2 mm, n=102) and large (>2 mm, n=63). SBO was defined as a TIMI flow 0 or 1. Computed tomography was scheduled at six months for patients with jailed SBs >1 mm. Immediate occlusion occurred in 31 (9%) SBs: 22 (12%) small, 8 (8%) intermediate and one (1.6%) large, while post-procedural SBO was 5.5%. In-hospital events included one thrombosis (0.7%) and eight non-Q-wave myocardial infarctions (6%). After 17±3 months, one patient died (0.7%) and six patients needed repeat revascularisation (4%). Re-evaluation showed no late SBO at 7±3 months. Predictors of SBO were: small SBs (OR 2.06, 95% CI: 1.08-4.63; p<0.05) and stenosis >50% at the origin (OR 17.22, 95% CI: 7.79-38.10; p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of SBO and its clinical impact were low when SBs >1 mm were covered. These favourable results were maintained at midterm.

Outcomes and computed tomography scan follow-up of bioresorbable vascular scaffold for the percutaneous treatment of chronic total coronary artery occlusion.

Everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) implantation in chronic total occlusion (CTO) could provide theoretical advantages at follow-up compared with metallic stents. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of BVS use for the percutaneous treatment of CTO by analyzing clinical outcomes and patency at midterm follow-up. From February 2013 to June 2014, 42 patients with 46 CTOs were treated by BVS implantation. Once the guidewire reached the distal lumen, all the occluded segments were predilated. Postdilation was performed in all patients. A multislice computed tomography was scheduled for all patients at 6 months. The mean age was 58 ± 9 years, 41 (98%) were men and 14 (33%) diabetic. The target vessel was predominantly the left anterior descending artery (22, 48%). According to the Japanese-CTO score, 21 CTOs (46%) were difficult or very difficult. Most cases were treated with an anterograde strategy (34 lesions, 74%). A hybrid procedure with a drug-eluting stent at the distal segment was the applied treatment in 7 CTOs (15%). The mean scaffold length was 43 ± 21 mm. Technical success was achieved in 45 lesions (98%), and 1 patient (2.4%) presented a non-Q periprocedural myocardial infarction. Re-evaluation was obtained in all patients at 6 ± 1 months. Two re-occlusions and a focal restenosis were identified. After 13 ± 5 months of follow-up, there were 2 repeat revascularizations (4.8%). Neither death nor myocardial infarction was documented. In conclusion, BVS for CTO seems to be an interesting strategy with a high rate of technical success and low rate of cardiac events at midterm follow-up in selected patients.

Measurement of aortic valve annulus using different cardiac imaging techniques in transcatheter aortic valve implantation: agreement with finally implanted prosthesis size.

AIMS: To compare the measurements of the aortic annulus obtained with various imaging techniques in patients with severe aortic stenosis scheduled for transcatheter aortic valve implantation, and to determine the grade of agreement between the predicted size of the prosthesis for each technique, and the size of the finally implanted valve. METHODS AND RESULTS: The aortic annulus was measured in 40 patients treated by transcatheter aortic valve implantation (CoreValve aortic valve) with transthoracic (TTE) and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), 64-slice tomography, and angiography. A large valve was implanted when annulus was >23 mm and a small one if it was ≤23 mm. If the size of the prosthesis predicted by several techniques was not the same in one case, we selected the size in which more techniques presented agreement. Forty aortic valves, 26 small and 14 large, were implanted percutaneously. The best correlation was obtained with TTE and TEE (r = 0.93, P < 0.001). The correlation of TTE and TEE with angiography also was good (r = 0.58, P < 0.001 and r = 0.53, P < 0.001, respectively). Correlations between these techniques and computed tomography were poor (P = NS for all comparisons). The best agreement between estimated aortic annulus and implanted valve size was obtained with transtoracic and TEE (κ= 0.88 and 0.76). CONCLUSIONS: The aortic annulus measurements obtained by TTE, TEE, and angiography correlated well, while tomography correlated poorly with other techniques. The imaging techniques that showed the best agreement between estimated aortic annulus size and implanted aortic valve size were TTE and TEE.