Should we change our carotid stenting technique? Does balloon postdilatation increase periprocedural cranial embolism? A diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging study.

Introduction: Silent cranial embolism has been demonstrated to cause dementia, cognitive decline and even ischemic stroke. Aim: To compare the periprocedural asymptomatic cranial embolism rates of classical carotid artery stenting (CAS) and non-classical CAS methods using cranial diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI). Material and methods: 367 clinically uncomplicated patients who underwent CAS at our center between December 2010 and June 2020 (mean age: 69.3 ±11.9) were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into 2 groups, classical CAS (130 patients) and non-classical CAS (237 patients). Classical CAS patients were defined as those who received a stent after suboptimal balloon dilatation (with a 3.0-4.0 mm balloon at 8-10 atmosphere (atm)) and underwent balloon postdilatation after stent deployment (with a 5.0-5.5 mm balloon at 8-10 atm). Non-classical CAS patients were defined as those in whom a stent was deployed after optimal balloon dilatation (with a 4.0-5.0 mm balloon at 10-14 atm) and did not undergo balloon postdilatation. Results: Periprocedural asymptomatic ipsilateral microembolism on cranial DW-MRI was detected in 25 (10.5%) patients in the non-classical CAS group and 24 (18.5%) in the classical CAS group. This difference between the two groups was found to be statistically significant (p = 0.033). Conclusions: The rate of ipsilateral asymptomatic cranial embolism detected on cranial DW-MRI was lower in the CAS procedures in which optimal predilatation was performed but postdilatation after stent deployment was not performed compared to the CAS procedures in which suboptimal predilatation and postdilatation after stent deployment were performed.

Asymptomatic Cerebral Emboli Following Carotid Artery Stenting: A Diffusion-Weighted MRI Study

BACKGROUND: Silent cranial embolism due to carotid artery stenting has been demonstrated to cause dementia, cognitive decline, and even ischemic stroke. The purpose of this study was to compare the periprocedural asymptomatic cranial embolism rates of different stent designs used for extracranial carotid stenosis with diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. METHODS: A total of 507 consecutive patients who underwent carotid artery stenting at our center from December 2010 to June 2020 (mean age, 66.4 ± 9.5) were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into 3 groups as open-cell stent (334 patients), closed-cell stent (102 patients), and hybrid-cell stent (71 patients) groups. Diffusionweighted magnetic resonance imaging was performed for the patients before and after carotid artery stenting and compared. The diffusion limitations of 3 stent groups on cranial diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging were compared with one another. RESULTS: Periprocedural asymptomatic same-side microembolism, which was the primary endpoint of our study, was detected in 58 (17.4%) patients in the open-cell stent group, 6 (5.9%) patients in the closed-cell group, and 8 (11.3%) patients in the hybrid cell group, and overall in 72 (14.2%) patients. On diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, periprocedural asymptomatic same-side cranial embolism was found to be statistically significantly higher in the open-cell group compared to the other two groups (P=.011). CONCLUSIONS: The result of this study showed us that the rate of same-side cranial embolism detected on cranial diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging after carotid artery stenting performed with open-cell stent was higher than those of the carotid artery stenting procedure performed with closed-cell and hybrid-cell stents.

Plaque morphology effect on periprocedural asymptomatic cerebral embolism in carotid artery stenting using first-generation carotid stents: A diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging study.

BACKGROUND: Silent cerebral embolism with carotid artery stenting (CAS) may contribute to dementia and cognitive decline. Moreover, clinically silent embolism is an important index of peri-procedural stroke risk. AIMS: The purpose of this study was to compare the periprocedural asymptomatic cerebral embolism rates of CAS procedures performed for noncalcified and calcified carotid artery plaques using diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI). METHODS: Five hundred and seventy clinically uncomplicated patients who underwent CAS at our center from December 2010 to June 2020 (mean [standard deviation, SD] age 69.3 [8.2 years]) were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into 2 groups with noncalcified (268 patients) and calcified (302 patients) plague. Cerebral DW-MRI was performed for the patients before and after CAS and compared. The presence of periprocedural new ipsilateral diffusion limitations detected on cerebral DW-MRI was noted as a significant finding. Ipsilateral diffusion limitations of the non-calcified and calcified plaque groups detected on cerebral DW-MRI were compared. RESULTS: The presence of periprocedural asymptomatic ipsilateral DW-MRI lesions was higher in patients in the noncalcified plaque group (45 [16.8%]) than in patients in the calcified plaque group (31 [10.3%]; P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that the rate of ipsilateral asymptomatic cerebral embolism detected on cerebral DW-MRI was higher in the CAS procedures performed for noncalcified carotid artery plaques than in those performed for calcified plaques.

Supraventricular arrhythmia in mitral valve prolapse : Predictive value of P-wave dispersion and atrial conduction time.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of supraventricular arrhythmia (SVA) is high in patients with mitral valve prolapse (MVP). The purpose of our study was to determine the role of parameters showing atrial conduction heterogeneity such as P­wave dispersion (PWD) and atrial electromechanical delay (AEMD) in predicting the development of SVA in MVP patients. METHODS: A total of 76 patients with MVP (56 female, 20 male) were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of SVA: 36 patients were allocated to the non-SVA group and 40 patients to the SVA group. Heart rate variability (HRV), PWD, and AEMD values were determined and compared. RESULTS: The PWD was found to be higher in the SVA group. Interatrial EMD was 32.00 ms (25.00-35.00) in patients with SVA while it was 18.00 ms in patients without SVA (11.00-23.75); the intra-atrial EMD was 17.0 ms (10.00-20.00) in patients with SVA whereas it was 10.00 ms (4.00-14.00) in patients without SVA. Lower HRV was found in the SVA group. CONCLUSION: In the SVA group, PWD and AEMD were increased while HRV values were decreased. Noninvasive parameters may help predict the presence and incidence of SVA during the follow-up of this group of patients.

Six-year outcomes of carotid artery stenting performed with multidisciplinary management in a single center.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the first 30-day results of clinical, periprocedural asymptomatic cranial embolism, and long-term restenosis of the multidisciplinary conducted and evaluated carotid artery stenting (CAS) procedure in our patient group with real-life data. METHODS: A total of 610 patients who were subjected to consecutive CAS procedures in our center between December 2010 and February 2019 were clinically and radiologically followed up for a mean duration of 6 years. Of the 610 patients, 274 (45%) were symptomatic for carotid artery stenosis, whereas 336 (55%) were identified as asymptomatic. As embolism protection methods, distal protection, proximal protection, and double (distal + proximal) protection was used in 52%, 43%, and 0.3% of patients, respectively. RESULTS: The success rate of the CAS procedure was 96%. Procedure-related death was reported in 4 (0.6%) patients who successfully underwent the CAS procedure. Moreover, acute carotid artery stent thrombosis, hyperperfusion syndrome, periprocedural major stroke, and periprocedural minor stroke was observed in 4 (0.6%), 2 (0.3%), 2 (0.3%), and 12 (1.9%) patients, respectively. The total clinical complication rates during the first 30 periprocedural days were 1.6% (10 patients) and 3.1% (19 patients) in the asymptomatic and symptomatic groups, respectively. On cranial magnetic resonance imaging performed, asymptomatic ipsilateral cranial microembolism, asymptomatic contralateral cranial microembolism, and bilateral asymptomatic cranial microembolism was detected in 61 (11.6%), 20 (3.8%), 23 (4.4%) patients, respectively. Asymptomatic restenosis was observed in 24 (3.9%) patients. CONCLUSION: The CAS procedure is a reliable treatment option applicable with acceptable complication and success rates as outlined in the guidelines, when performed following a multidisciplinary evaluation, in the treatment of symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis, including high-risk patient groups.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation through the brachial artery.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been increasingly used in patients with severe aortic stenosis. The femoral artery is the most commonly used entry site for TAVI; however, other entry sites were also reported as transapical, transaortic, transaxillary/subclavian, and transcarotid in patients with occlusive peripheral arterial disease. In this report, a case of TAVI procedure through the brachial artery is presented.

Increased Intima-Media Thickness of the Ascending Aorta May Predict Neurological Complications Associated with TAVI.

OBJECTIVES: Neurological complications associated with transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) are important due to its morbidity and mortality risks. The purpose of this study was to investigate the importance of the features of the aortic valve and ascending aorta to predict the neurological complications associated with TAVI. METHODS: The patients for whom the heart team decided to perform TAVI were included in the study. In order to assess possible neurological complications, cerebral diffusionweighted magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) was performed pre- and post-operatively. The diameter of the patients' aortic root and ascending aorta, aortic valve scores, intima media thickness of the ascending aorta were measured from their transesophageal echocardiography records. RESULTS: A total of 108 patients constituted the study population. 31 patients were found to develop a new lesion (MR+) detected on MRI after TAVI, while 76 patients did not have any new lesions (MR-). The groups did not have any significant differences in their aortic valve features and scores. However, AA-IMT was found to be higher in the MR+ group (1.8mm [1.6-2.3] vs 1.4mm [1.2-1.8] interquartile range). The multivariate logistic regression analysis conducted to detect new lesions revealed that AA-IMT led to a significantly increased risk. CONCLUSION: The features of the ascending are more important than the demographic characteristics of patients and features of the native valve in predicting new lesions on MRI scans and thus neurological events after TAVI.

Heart Rate Recovery as a Novel Test for Predicting Cardiac Involvement in Beta-Thalassemia Major.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal heart rate recovery (HRR) is predictive of cardiac mortality. Autonomic abnormalities in beta-thalassemia major (TM) patients have been reported in previous studies. However, the importance of low HRR in exercise stress test in TM patients has not yet been ascertained. Therefore, this study will be the first of its kind in the literature. METHODS: Exercise stress test was performed on 56 TM patients who were being treated at the Thalassemia Center of our hospital, along with 46 non-TM iron deficiency anemia (IDA) patients as a control group. Values for HHR were recorded at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 min, and HRR was calculated by the difference of heart rate at peak exercise and at a specific time interval following the onset of recovery. RESULTS: All HRR values were found to be lower in TM patients compared to those in the IDA group. Exercise capacity [metabolic equivalents (METs)] was also found to be low in these patients (p < 0.001) as well. Total exercise time was significantly lower in the TM group compared to the IDA group (8.40 ± 1.7 min vs. 11.17 ± 1.51 min, p < 0.001). Exercise capacity (METs) was also lower in the TM group compared to the IDA group. Mean T2* value was 28.3 ± 13.7 ms in TM patients on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In addition, there are 18 TM patients with T2* value was < 20 ms. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that TM was independently associated with low HRR. Such a condition is an indicator of autonomic dysfunction in TM patients, since abnormal HRR is related to impaired autonomic response. In addition, impaired HRR may be a marker of early cardiac involvement in patients, whose T2* value is high on MRI. Modifying HRR with a cardiac rehabilitation program in TM patients with impaired HRR is a field open for further investigation.

Assessment of left ventricular function with tissue Doppler echocardiography and of B-type natriuretic peptide levels in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

INTRODUCTION: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an emerging minimally invasive treatment modality in high surgical risk or inoperable patients. AIM: The aim of this study was to ascertain the effect of TAVI on left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function and serum B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels in high surgical risk or inoperable patients with severe aortic stenosis. METHODS: Fifty-five patients were included in our retrospective study. LV systolic and diastolic function was assessed with conventional and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) prior to and after TAVI. Additionally, BNP was measured 24 h before and three months after the procedure. Echocardiographic controls were performed at one, three and six months and one year and mean values were taken. At the end of the study, LV systolic and diastolic function, serum BNP levels and New York Heart Association functional capacity were assessed and compared to baseline parameters. RESULTS: The TAVI procedure was successful in all patients. In-hospital mortality was 1.8% (one patient). There was a substantial improvement in LV function and functional capacity at follow-up. In addition, a statistically significant decrease was detected in serum BNP levels post-TAVI (median 380 pg/ml [176.6-929.3] vs. 215 pg/ml [96.0-383.0], p=0.0001). Only one patient required a permanent pacemaker (1.8%) and there was no mortality after TAVI during follow-up. There were significant increases in LV ejection fraction and aortic valve area (51.0±13.1% vs. 58.4±9.1%, p<0.001, and 0.6±0.1 cm2 vs. 2.1±0.2 cm2, p=0.0001, respectively). At the end of the study, conventional Doppler echocardiography revealed improvement in diastolic function, with an increase in mitral E wave, a decrease in mitral A wave and an increase in E/A ratio. Deceleration time and isovolumetric relaxation time were shortened and myocardial performance (Tei) index decreased. TDI showed an increase in systolic myocardial velocity (Sm) and early diastolic velocity (Em). Septal mitral annular Sm and Em were increased, whereas MPI was reduced. CONCLUSION: We found that LV structural changes and diastolic dysfunction occur in patients with severe aortic stenosis and that TAVI is able to reverse these abnormalities, which we demonstrated by both conventional echocardiography and TDI. In addition, serum BNP levels were decreased after TAVI.

The Relationship between Vitamin D and Coronary Artery Ectasia in Subjects with a Normal C-Reactive Protein Level.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Vitamin D is generally known to be closely related to inflammation. The effects of vitamin D on coronary artery disease (CAD) are not fully explained. Nowadays, coronary artery ectasia (CAE) cases are common and are regarded as being a kind of CAD. We aimed to investigate, in a case-control study, the relationship between vitamin D and CAE without an associated inflammatory process. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study population included 201 patients (CAE group, 121 males; mean age, 61.2±6.4 years) with isolated CAE; and 197 healthy individuals (control group, 119 males; mean age, 62.4±5.8 years), comprising the control group, who had normal coronary arteries. These participants concurrently underwent routine biochemical tests, tests for inflammatory markers, and tests for 25-OH vitamin D in whole-blood draws. These parameters were compared. RESULTS: There are no statistical significance differences among the groups for basic clinical characteristics (p>0.05). Inflammatory markers were recorded and compared to exclude any inflammatory process. All of them were similar, and no statistical significance difference was found. The average parathyroid hormone (PTH) level of patients was higher than the average PTH level in controls (41.8±15.1 pg/mL vs. 19.1±5.81 pg/mL; p<0.001). Also, the average 25-OH vitamin D level of patients was lower than the average 25-OH vitamin D level of controls (14.5±6.3 ng/mL vs. 24.6±9.3 ng/mL; p<0.001). In receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the observed cut-off value for vitamin D between the control group and patients was 10.8 and 85.6% sensitivity and 75.2% specificity (area under the curve: 0.854, 95% confidence interval: 0.678-0.863). CONCLUSION: We found that there is an association between vitamin D and CAE in patients who had no inflammatory processes. Our study may provide evidence for the role of vitamin D as a non-inflammatory factor in the pathophysiology of CAE.

Relationship between mean platelet volume and ischemic stroke in patients with patent foramen ovale.

OBJECTIVE: Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is commonly encountered in patients with cryptogenic stroke. Mean platelet volume (MPV), an indicator of platelet reactivity, has been reported in recent trials to be higher in patients with PFO than in normal population. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is a difference in MPV between patients with PFO and stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) and that of patients with asymptomatic PFO. METHODS: Patients with PFO who were younger than 55 years of age were enrolled in this retrospective study. Hemogram parameters of patients with ischemic stroke or TIA (symptomatic group) were obtained during hospitalization once they had stable clinical status. RESULTS: Total of 108 patients, 51 of whom were symptomatic, were included in the study. MPV was determined to be higher in symptomatic group compared with asymptomatic group (median 10.0 fl [25th-75th percentile: 9.0-11.0] vs median 8.56 fl [25th-75th percentile: 8.0-9.0], respectively; p<0.001,. Cut-off point of 9.0 fl for MPV had 70% sensitivity and 86% specificity in predicting symptomatic PFO patients. CONCLUSION: MPV is higher in symptomatic than in asymptomatic PFO patients. This finding may be a subsidiary risk factor to identify patients with PFO and high risk of cardioembolic stroke.

Management of Left Ventricular Free Wall Rupture Associated with Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Left ventricular free wall rupture is one of the mechanical complications of acute myocardial infarction and it may result in cardiac tamponade as well as limiting itself by forming a pseudoaneurysm. In this report, a case of left ventricular free wall rupture and pseudoaneurysm that developed during the course of posterior myocardial infarction has been presented. Left ventricular free wall rupture and pseudoaneurysm were identified by three-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography and surgically repaired at a late stage.

Evaluation of mean platelet volume and platelet distribution width in patients with asymptomatic intermediate carotid artery plaque.

BACKGROUND: Platelets play a significant role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. In atherosclerotic plaques, the risk of plaque rupture is more crucial than the severity of the stenosis they cause. Non-calcified carotid artery plaques are more unstable than calcified plaques, and they are associated with a higher risk of rupture, thromboembolism, and consequently, stroke. AIM: The purpose of the present study is to compare calcified and non-calcified plaques that cause intermediate carotid artery stenosis, with respect to mean platelet volume (MPV) and platelet distribution width (PDW). METHODS: A total of 139 asymptomatic patients with 50-70% stenosis of the carotid artery were included in this study. Carotid Doppler ultrasound imaging and computed tomography angiography were performed to divide the carotid artery plaques into two groups as calcified and non-calcified. Patients included in the calcified (n = 73) and non-calcified (n = 66) plaque groups were compared with respect to MPV and PDW. RESULTS: Mean platelet volume was statistically significantly higher in the non-calcified plaque group compared to the cal-cified plaque group (MPV in non-calcified/calcified plaque groups [fL]: 10.0/9.0, respectively) (p < 0.01). PDW was not significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.09). Platelet count was statistically significantly higher in the calcified plaque group compared to the non-calcified plaque group (platelet count in calcified/non-calcified plaque groups [10³/mm³]: 250 ± 63/226 ± 56, respectively) (p = 0.019). Multivariate regression analysis showed that MPV was independently associ-ated with non-calcified carotid artery plaque (odds ratio 5.95, 95% confidence interval 2.63-13.45, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Mean platelet volume is increased in the presence of non-calcified carotid artery plaques that cause asymp-tomatic intermediate stenosis. Increased MPV can be used as a marker to predict the risk of rupture of the non-calcified carotid artery plaques.

Association of Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio with Plaque Morphology in Patients with Asymptomatic Intermediate Carotid Artery Stenosis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Non-calcified carotid plaques are more unstable than calcified plaques, and they are associated with a higher risk of rupture, thromboembolism, and consequently, stroke. The purpose of the present study is to compare calcified and non-calcified plaques that cause intermediate carotid artery stenosis with respect to neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total number of 139 asymptomatic patients with 50-70% stenosis of the carotid artery were included in this study. Carotid Doppler ultrasound imaging and computed tomography angiography were performed to divide the carotid artery plaques into two groups as calcified and non-calcified. Patients included in the calcified (n=73) and non-calcified (n=66) plaque groups were compared with respect to total neutrophil count, lymphocyte count and NLR. RESULTS: Total lymphocyte count was statistically significantly lower in the non-calcified plaque group compared to the calcified plaque group (total lymphocyte count in non-calcified/calcified plaque groups [103/mm3]: 2.1/2.3, respectively) (p=0.002). NLR was statistically significantly higher in the non-calcified plaque group compared to the calcified plaque group (NLR in non-calcified/calcified plaque groups: 2.6/2.1, respectively) (p<0.001). The cut-off value for NLR was found to be >2.54. Multivariate regression analysis showed that NLR was independently associated with non-calcified carotid artery plaques (odds ratio 5.686, 95% CI 2.498-12.944, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: NLR is increased in the presence of non-calcified carotid artery plaques that cause asymptomatic intermediate stenosis. Increased NLR can be used as a marker to assess the risk of rupture of non-calcified carotid artery plaques.

Aortopulmonary window in adulthood: Surviving at 22 years without intervention or pulmonary vascular disease.

Aortopulmonary window is a rare anomaly, a communication between the ascending aorta and the main pulmonary artery. Prognosis in the absence of correction is poor, with mortality of around 40% in the first year of life. A case of aortopulmonary window without pulmonary vascular disease in adulthood is described in the present report.