Clinical applicability of diagnostic biomarkers in early-onset cognitive impairment.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Several diagnostic biomarkers are currently available for clinical use in early-onset cognitive impairment. The decision on which biomarker is used in each patient depends on several factors such as its predictive value or tolerability. METHODS: There were a total of 40 subjects with early-onset cognitive complaints (<65 years of age): 26 with Alzheimer's disease (AD), five with frontotemporal dementia and nine with diagnostic suspicion of non-neurodegenerative disorder. Clinical and neuropsychological evaluation, lumbar puncture for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) AD core biochemical marker determination, medial temporal atrophy evaluation on magnetic resonance imaging, amyloid-positron emission tomography (PET) and 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose-PET were performed. Neurologists provided pre- and post-biomarker diagnosis, together with diagnostic confidence and clinical/therapeutic management. Patients scored the tolerability of each procedure. RESULTS: Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers and amyloid-PET increased diagnostic confidence in AD (77.4%-86.2% after CSF, 92.4% after amyloid-PET, P < 0.01) and non-neurodegenerative conditions (53.6%-75% after CSF, 95% after amyloid-PET, P < 0.05). Biomarker results led to diagnostic (32.5%) and treatment (32.5%) changes. All tests were well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: Biomarker procedures are well tolerated and have an important diagnostic/therapeutic impact on early-onset cognitive impairment.

Variability of assay methods for total and free PSA after WHO standardization.

The variability of total PSA (tPSA) and free PSA (fPSA) results among commercial assays has been suggested to be decreased by calibration to World Health Organization (WHO) reference materials. To characterize the current situation, it is necessary to know its impact in the critical cutoffs used in clinical practice. In the present study, we tested 167 samples with tPSA concentrations of 0 to 20 µg/L using seven PSA and six fPSA commercial assays, including Access, ARCHITECT i2000, ADVIA Centaur XP, IMMULITE 2000, Elecsys, and Lumipulse G1200, in which we only measured tPSA. tPSA and fPSA were measured in Access using the Hybritech and WHO calibrators. Passing-Bablok analysis was performed for PSA, and percentage of fPSA with the Hybritech-calibrated access comparison assay. For tPSA, relative differences were more than 10 % at 0.2 µg/L for ARCHITECT i2000, and at a critical concentration of 3, 4, and 10 µg/L, the relative difference was exceeded by ADVIA Centaur XP and WHO-calibrated Access. For percent fPSA, at a critical concentration of 10 %, the 10 % relative difference limit was exceeded by IMMULITE 2000 assay. At a critical concentration of 20 and 25 %, ADVIA Centaur XP, ARCHITECT i2000, and IMMULITE 2000 assays exceeded the 10 % relative difference limit. We have shown significant discordances between assays included in this study despite advances in standardization conducted in the last years. Further harmonization efforts are required in order to obtain a complete clinical concordance.

Melanoma inhibiting activity protein (MIA), beta-2 microglobulin and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in metastatic melanoma.

BACKGROUND: Serum levels of melanoma markers may have a role in monitoring disease evolution in metastatic melanoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Serial measurements of melanoma inhibiting activity protein (MIA), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), S-100 and beta2-microglubulin were obtained from 42 metastatic melanoma patients during their biochemotherapy treatment. RESULTS: High pre-treatment serum levels of S-100, LDH, MIA and P2-microglobulin were detected in 50%, 57%, 50% and 24% of the patients, respectively. Only S-100 had prognostic significance for both disease-free (p=0.011) and overall survival (p=0.021). In patients who responded to treatment, S-100 levels decreased significantly from pre-treatment to the time of response (p = 0.050). When patients progressed, levels of MIA and P2-microglobulin increased significantly (p =0.028 and p =0.030, respectively). CONCLUSION: Correlation with disease evolution was found for S-100, MIA and P2-microglobulin levels. Despite the small sample size of the study, S-100 was a significant prognostic marker for overall survival and disease-free survival.

Active myocardial damage without attending inflammatory response in dilated cardiomyopathy.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare indium-111 (111In)-monoclonal antimyosin antibody uptake in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy before heart transplantation with the histologic findings in the explanted hearts. BACKGROUND: A high prevalence of 111In-monoclonal antimyosin antibody uptake has been described in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, suggesting the presence of active, ongoing myocyte damage; however, no correlation between monoclonal antimyosin antibodies and histologic findings is available in these patients. METHODS: A consecutive series of 21 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy awaiting heart transplantation were studied with monoclonal antimyosin antibodies before the operation, and the results were compared with the histologic analysis of the explanted hearts. The interval between monoclonal antimyosin antibody studies and transplantation was 1 to 90 days (mean 58 +/- 31). RESULTS: Using a semiquantitative method (heart/lung ratio), monoclonal antimyosin antibody uptake was present in 15 (71%) of 21 patients, but active myocarditis in the explanted hearts was detected in only 7. In 11 patients, intense monoclonal antimyosin antibody uptake coexisting with absent myocyte damage or cellular infiltration of explanted hearts was noted. One patient who showed preoperative monoclonal antimyosin antibody uptake underwent transplantation 11 h later, and ex vivo diffuse myocardial antimyosin uptake was detected, but active myocarditis was seen only at cardiectomy in only a small area of the heart; the rest of the myocardium showed no signs of myocyte damage. CONCLUSIONS: In dilated cardiomyopathy, monoclonal antimyosin antibody uptake cannot be equated with the presence of an inflammatory response detected in the myocardium of the explanted heart.

Spectrum of alcohol-induced myocardial damage detected by indium-111-labeled monoclonal antimyosin antibodies.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine the prevalence, intensity and evolving changes of myocardial damage detected by myocardial uptake of antimyosin antibodies in patients with alcohol-induced dilated cardiomyopathy, alcohol addicts attending a detoxification unit and healthy subjects with short-term alcohol consumption. BACKGROUND: Evidence of alcohol-induced myocardial damage may be provided by myocardial uptake of indium-111-labeled monoclonal antimyosin antibodies. The spectrum of such damage in patients who are heavy drinkers (> 100 g for > 10 years), with or without cardiomyopathy, and the impact of short-term alcohol ingestion on antimyosin antibody uptake have not been adequately explored. METHODS: One hundred twenty antimyosin studies were performed in 56 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (group I), 15 alcohol addicts attending a detoxification unit (group II) and 6 volunteers for short-term alcohol ingestion (group III). Estimation of antibody uptake was calculated through a heart/lung ratio (HLR) (normal < 1.55). RESULTS: The 56 patients in group I (54 men, 2 women; mean [+/-SD] age 46 +/- 11 years) had consumed 123 +/- 60 g/day of alcohol for 21 +/- 9 years, for a cumulative intake of 914 +/- 478 kg. Mean duration of symptoms was 46 +/- 49 months. Mean left ventricular end-diastolic diameter was 71 +/- 10 mm, and mean ejection fraction was 28 +/- 12%. No differences in New York Heart Association functional class, ventricular size or ejection fraction were noted between 28 active and 28 past consumers, except for the prevalence and intensity of antibody uptake (75% vs. 32%, p < 0.001) and HLR (1.75 +/- 0.26 vs. 1.49 +/- 0.17, p = 0.0001). In 19 patients in the active group restudied after alcohol withdrawal, antibody uptake decreased (from 1.76 +/- 0.17 to 1.55 +/- 0.19, p < 0.001), and ejection fraction improved (from 30 +/- 12% to 43 +/- 16%, (p < 0.001). No changes occurred in the 15 past consumers restudied. The 15 male patients in group II (mean age 36 +/- 4 years) had consumed 156 +/- 59 g/day for 17 +/- 5 years, for a cumulative alcohol intake of 978 +/- 537 kg, an amount similar to that in patients in group I, but antimyosin antibody uptake was detected in only 3 (20%) of 15 patients. None of six group III subjects developed antibody uptake after short-term ethanol ingestion. Despite the small sample size, the power to detect clinically relevant differences in most variables that did not reach statistical significance was amply sufficient. CONCLUSIONS: In alcohol-induced dilated cardiomyopathy, alcohol withdrawal is associated with the reduction or disappearance of myocardial damage and improvement of function. The difference in prevalence of antimyosin antibody uptake in patients with and without cardiac disease who consume similar amounts of alcohol suggests the presence of those with different myocardial susceptibilities to alcohol. Short-term ethanol ingestion in healthy subjects does not induce detectable uptake of antimyosin antibodies.

S-100beta and MIA in advanced melanoma in relation to prognostic factors.

We compared the sensitivity and specificity of S-100 and MIA in advanced melanoma, in 96 patients with no evidence of disease (NED) and 86 patients with metastatic melanoma. Abnormal S100 (>0.2 microg/l) and MIA (>14 ng/ml) results were found in 1.1% and 3.2% of NED patients and in 59.3% and 54.6% of the patients with active melanoma (p<0.001). Using both tumor markers simultaneously, the sensitivity increased up to 69.8% with the same specificity 96.8%. S100 serum levels were not related to growth patterns. By contrast, MIA levels seemed to be related to the growth pattern, with higher levels in nodular melanoma (60.6+/-87.1 ng/ml) compared with acral-lentigous melanoma (11.9+/-5.4 ng/ml) (p=0.02). Likewise, S100 was related to the metastases site with significantly higher sensitivity and mean concentrations in patients with brain metastases (p=0.01) with the lowest in those with lung MI. MIA was related to the same metastases locations but without statistical significance. In summary, both S100 and ML4 are useful markers related to prognostic factors, being more effective when used in combination.

Significance of angiographic coronary dissection after cutting balloon angioplasty.

We studied 2 groups of patients with (n = 14) and without (n = 42) minor coronary dissections following cutting balloon angioplasty. Patients with a minor dissection had a longer length of lesion, higher percentage of stenosis, and greater acute gain after angioplasty; at 6-month follow-up both groups had a similar net gain and restenosis rate, suggesting that minor dissection after cutting balloon angioplasty has no influence on restenosis.

Assessment of the appropriateness of the decision of heart transplantation in idiopathic-dilated cardiomyopathy.

One hundred thirty patients with idiopathic-dilated cardiomyopathy were referred for heart transplantation to our center and followed for 18 months. Heart transplantation was performed on 63 patients, 17 patients died before transplantation due to heart failure, and 50 patients never had transplantation. Clinical, electrocardiographic, echocardiographic, and hemodynamic data of the 50 nontransplanted survivors and the 17 patients who died were used to identify independent risk variables with discriminant analysis. Using a statistical model based on the results of discriminant analysis, each of the remaining 63 transplanted patients were predicted as being alive or dead in absence of transplantation. The discriminant analysis identified right atrial pressure, cardiac index, and the New York Heart Association functional class as the strongest predictors of 18-month outcome. The accuracy of the model in predicting survival without transplantation in the nontransplanted group of patients, based on the concordance between actual and predicted outcome, was 85% (kappa = 0.62). Subsequent application of this model to the transplanted group of patients suggested that the decision for transplantation was appropriate in 41 of the 63 patients, and could have been premature in the remaining 22 patients predicted as alive. These results suggest that two-thirds of patients receiving transplants would have died without intervention, but the decision to transplant could have been premature in the remaining patients.

Clinical and hemodynamic results of cardiac valve replacement with the Monostrut Björk-Shiley prosthesis.

Between May 1983 and April 1986, 318 patients underwent cardiac valve replacement with the Monostrut Björk-Shiley prosthesis. There were 136 aortic valve replacements, 128 mitral valve replacements, and 54 multiple replacements. A total of 373 valves were implanted. Associated procedures were done in 79 (25%) of the patients. Hospital (30-day) mortality rate was 5.6% (18 patients): 2.9% (n = 4) after aortic, 7.8% (n = 10) after mitrals and 7.4% (n = 4) after multiple valve replacement. Follow-up was obtained in all 300 operative survivors, for a total of 500 patient-years (mean 18 months). Actuarial survival rate, excluding operative deaths, at 4 years was 94.7% +/- 1.5% (mean +/- standard error of the mean). There were 16 thromboembolic episodes (3.2/100 patient-years). Freedom from all valve-related complications was 87% +/- 2.4% at 3 1/2 years. Neither valve thrombosis nor structural failure has been observed. Eighty percent of the patients are in New York Heart Association functional class I. Forty-two patients (26 with aortic and 16 with mitral valve replacement) underwent cardiac catheterization a mean of 6 1/2 months after the operation. In the aortic position, peak gradients were an average of 6.9 +/- 1.2 mm Hg. Mean systolic gradients were 12.4 +/- 6.3 mm Hg and did not increase with exercise. In the mitral position, end-diastolic gradients were an average of 2.1 +/- 2 mm Hg and mean gradients, 5.9 +/- 2 mm Hg. Discharge coefficient (estimated orifice area/geometric area) was 0.63 +/- 0.2 for the aortic and 0.53 +/- 0.2 for the mitral prostheses. Disc opening was maximal in most patients. These results indicate that the Monostrut prosthesis has a low rate of thromboembolic events, no structural failures or thrombotic obstructions and excellent hemodynamic performance, especially in the small aortic sizes (discharge coefficient for 19 and 21 mm valves, 0.77).

Coronary endothelial dysfunction as a predictor of intimal thickening in the long term after heart transplantation.

OBJECTIVES: The mechanisms of cardiac allograft vasculopathy and its predisposing factors are multifactorial and as yet not well established. To determine the influence of endothelial dysfunction on the development of intimal thickening, we prospectively analyzed the vasomotor response to acetylcholine and nitroglycerin, as well as other donor and recipient variables. Findings were correlated with the coronary intimal thickness, which was evaluated by means of intravascular ultrasonography. METHODS: Nineteen patients who had undergone heart transplantation 4.89 +/- 2.35 years previously and who had angiographically normal coronary arteries were included. Endothelial function was analyzed by quantitative coronary analysis of the vasomotor response of the left anterior descending artery to acetylcholine. An intimal thickness index, reflecting the percentage of intima obstructing the coronary lumen, was calculated. RESULTS: Nine (47%) patients showed endothelial dysfunction, and the remaining 10 (53%) patients had a normal response. Four (44%) of 9 patients with a weight gain of greater than 20% after the operation showed endothelial dysfunction compared with none of the 10 patients with normal responses (P <.04). The severity of the intimal thickness correlated with the years after transplant (r = 0.45, P <.05). Patients with endothelial dysfunction had more intimal thickening than those without (32% +/- 17% vs 17% +/- 12%, respectively; P <.05). Furthermore, the degree of intimal thickening correlated with the magnitude of the vasomotor response to acetylcholine (r = -0.60, P =.006). No relationship was found between intimal thickness and the vasodilatory response to nitroglycerin. As independent variables for intimal thickness, multivariate analysis detected the magnitude of the response to acetylcholine (P =.0005), years after transplant (P =.01), and ischemic time (P =.03). CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac allograft vasculopathy is a multifactorial disease the severity of which increases over time. Endothelial dysfunction is a predictive factor of intimal thickening severity. Predisposing factors that provoke endothelial injury, such as perioperative ischemic time and obesity, may contribute to the development of allograft vasculopathy.

Hemodynamic evaluation of the integral monostrut Björk-Shiley prosthesis in the aortic position.

Between May, 1983, and November, 1984, the new integral monostrut Björk-Shiley prosthesis was used for aortic valve replacement in 62 patients. The prosthesis is machined from a solid piece of cobalt alloy and has no welded joints. The traditional U-shaped outlet strut has been replaced by a projecting metal finger that holds the disc in place. The disc opens to 70 degrees and is convexoconcave. Successful transseptal heart catheterization was performed in 23 patients an average of 6 months following operation to evaluate the hemodynamic performance of the prosthesis. The mean peak-to-peak gradient was 7.73 +/- 7.49 mm Hg (+/- standard deviation). In five valves it was 0, and in only three was it higher than 15 mm Hg. Significant peak gradients were directly related to the valve index (valve area/body surface area). Mean systolic gradient at rest was 12.7 +/- 6.27 mm Hg and did not increase after exercise. Effective orifice areas were adequate, and the discharge coefficient ranged from 0.77 for the 21-mm prosthesis to 0.48 for the 29-mm prosthesis. Minimal regurgitation, which was washed out on the next systole, was observed with all sizes of the prosthesis. Disc opening was maximal (70 degrees) in all but one of the observed instances. Longer clinical follow-up is required, but the new integral monostrut Björk-Shiley prosthesis, with its important design changes and excellent hemodynamic performance, appears to be a promising aortic valve substitute.

Prospective validation of detection and quantitative assessment of chronic aortic regurgitation by a combined echocardiographic and Doppler method.

To establish the accuracy of Doppler echocardiography in the assessment of chronic aortic regurgitation (AR), 87 patients were included in a two-step prospective study. In a first consecutive series of 56 patients, two-dimensional directed M-mode echocardiography and pulsed wave Doppler (PWD) studies were performed within a 24-hour interval of a conventional contrast aortic angiography, which showed AR in 46 patients. Sensitivity and specificity of PWD in the detection of AR were both 100%. To quantitate AR, a left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) PWD mapping was scored. Significant differences between 1, 2, and 3 to 4 angiographic grades of AR were obtained. As some overlap existed between groups, a multifactorial analysis of PWD and echocardiographic measurements was performed: optimal discrimination was obtained when a new score combining LVOT mapping by PWD, diastolic left ventricular diameter, and aortic root dimension was considered. A prospective validation of this combined echocardiographic-Doppler method was then applied on a second group of 31 catheterized patients with AR. Correlation obtained (r = 0.86; p less than 0.001) confirmed the accuracy of this new method in the prediction of the severity of AR.

Pulsed Doppler assessment of tricuspid regurgitation: usefulness of regurgitant signal patterns for estimation of severity.

A study on the value of pulsed Doppler in the detection and quantitative assessment of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) has been conducted on 33 consecutive adult patients with valvular heart disease. Only 1 patient had to be excluded owing to a technically inadequate Doppler examination. Data for comparison were obtained from a right heart catheterization performed within a twenty-four-hour interval from the Doppler study. Sensitivity and specificity in the detection of the lesion were 88% and 100%, respectively. A previously undescribed pulsed Doppler method for the estimation of the degree of TR was tested, based on the consideration of two distinctive patterns of the regurgitant Doppler signal: type I: a protosystolic regurgitant signal with progressively fading intensity along systole; and type II: a homogeneously intense pansystolic signal. Correlation between these patterns and the angiographic degrees of TR showed that milder lesions correspond to the type I Doppler pattern, whereas significant regurgitations present a type II pattern, this allowing a clinically useful method of assessment of TR.

[Registry of the Activity of the Section of Hemodynamics and Interventional Cardiology of the Spanish Society of Cardiology for the year 2000]. / Registro de Actividad de la Sección de Hemodinámica y Cardiología Intervencionista de la Sociedad Española de Cardiología del año 2000.

The results of the Registry of the Working Group on Hemodynamics and Interventional Cardiology of the Spanish Society of Cardiology for 2000 are presented. Date came from 100 centers representing all the cardiac catheterization laboratories in Spain; 93 centers performed mainly adult catheterization and 7 carried out only pediatric procedures. In 2000, 88,339 diagnostic catheterization procedures were performed (73,382 coronary angiograms), representing a total increase of 12.5% over 1999. The population-adjusted rate was 1,825 coronary angiograms per 106 inhabitants. With a total of 26,993 procedures and a rate of coronary interventions per 106 inhabitants of 671, coronary intervention increased by 17% over figures for 1999. Coronary stents were the devices used most often, with 29,504 implanted in 2000; stenting accounted for 77.2% of procedures, a 30.5% increase over 1999. The increase in direct stenting without predilatation was noteworthy. Direct stenting was done in 8,778 procedures (38.9% of the total), an increase of 131% compared to 1999. IIb-IIIa glycoprotein were used in 4,700 coronary interventions (17%). Angioplasty, performed in 3,128 cases of acute myocardial infarction, accounted for 11.6% of coronary interventions 33.5% more than in 1999. A decrease of 6.5% in valvuloplastics occurred, attributable to the performance of fewer mitral valve repairs (493 vs 525 in 2000 and 1999, respectively). Pediatric procedures increased by 20.5%, from 678 to 817 cases. In conclusion, we would like to underline the high rate of reporting by laboratories, through which the Registry has been able to compile data that are highly representative of the hemodynamic activity in Spain.

[The single coronary artery. Presentation of a case]. / Arteria coronaria única. Presentación de un caso.

A patient with a single coronary artery originating in the right coronary sinus is presented. The condition was diagnosed during aortic valve replacement surgery and later confirmed by coronary angiogram. The clinic significance in relation to the anomalous course of the coronary artery and the importance of correct diagnosis prior to cardiac surgery is discussed.

[Bullet embolism of the right ventricle following gunshot wound]. / Embolismo de bala al ventrículo derecho después de una herida por arma de fuego.

Bullet embolism to the right ventricle after a gunshot wound is exceptional. We describe a patient in whom the bullet after entering through the superior vena cava migrated for the venous system with further embolism to the right ventricle. Clinical history, diagnosis and treatment are discussed.

[Coronary fistula to the right ventricle in heart transplant patients as a complication of repeated endomyocardial biopsies]. / Fístula coronaria a ventrículo derecho en pacientes trasplantados cardíacos como complicación de las biopsias endomiocárdicas repetidas.

Ninety-six coronary angiographies of 30 orthotopic heart transplant recipients were studied. Eleven coronary artery fistulas to right ventricle were seen in 7 (23.3%) patients; five involved the left anterior descending artery, four the right coronary artery, and two the circumflex artery. All the coronary arterial fistulas appeared within the first year after transplantation, when endomyocardial biopsies were more frequent. In the review of the histologic samples, we found coronary arterioles greater than 0.15 mm of diameter in 3 of 7 patients with coronary arterial fistula; on the contrary, those were not found in any of the 69 histologic samples of 23 heart transplant patients without coronary fistula (p less than 0.001). Neither clinic nor hemodynamic abnormalities were seen in any patient during the follow-up. The coronary fistula had a benign course, with a tendency to decrease in size and to close spontaneously.

[Percutaneous coronary transluminal angioplasty in a heart transplant recipient]. / Angioplastia coronaria transluminal percutánea en un receptor de trasplante de corazón.

A 46-year-old female, who underwent an orthotopic heart transplantation 5 years ago, presented an occlusive coronary artery disease with severe stenosis of the left anterior descending artery and a large septal perforator. An isonitrile scintigraphy showed a decreased uptake involving the anterior and inferior segments of the left ventricle. Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty was successfully performed in both lesions. Three months after dilatation, improvement of the uptake in both myocardial segments was detected. The results of the percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty published in the literature are reviewed.

[Initial results and 6 month clinical follow-up after implantation of a silicon carbide coated coronary stent]. / Resultados iniciales y seguimiento clínico a 6 meses tras el implante de un stent coronario recubierto de carburo de silicio.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: To present the initial Spanish experience with the Tenax coronary stent, a laser sculpted from high-precision 316L stainless steel coated with hydrogen rich amorphous silicon carbide that reduces thrombogenecity and improves biocompatibility. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From July 1998 to July 1999, 206 patients (62 +/- 5 years) underwent implantation of 231 Tenax stents in 9 centers as the only revascularization procedure. The most frequent clinical indication was unstable angina (66%), and most of the lesions were complex (class B2 and C). The target vessels were the left anterior descending (51%) and right coronary arteries (36%). The ejection fraction was < 0.5 in 19% cases. RESULTS: Revascularization was complete in 70%, elective in 80%, and the implantation was direct in 25% of the cases. The procedure was successful in all the lesions, reducing stenosis from 62 +/- 16 to 16 +/- 10% and increasing the minimal luminal diameter from 0.81 +/- 0.40 to 2.61 +/- 0.59 mm. The TIMI flow was reduced in 30%, but normalized after the stent in all but one case. The incidence of cardiac events was minimal: 1 acute thrombosis (0.5%) resolved by a new angioplasty and 1 non-Q myocardial infarction (0.5%). At the 6-month clinical follow-up 10% of the patients presented complaints of angina greater than class II, and a new angioplasty was carried out in 1.9% of these cases. CONCLUSION: Clinical and angiographic data suggest that the hydrogenated silicon carbide coating of the Tenax coronary stent may indeed play a beneficial role in patient outcome, and should therefore be evaluated by prospective clinical trials.

[Initial results with the Multi-Link coronary stent]. / Resultados iniciales con el stent coronario multi-link.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The Multi-Link intracoronary stent is a balloon-expandable stainless steel stent with an interconnected ring structure designed to provide a high degree of compressive resistance while preserving longitudinal flexibility. We present the results of our initial experience with the implantation of this stent. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From May 1996 to April 1997, 124 Multi-link stents were implanted in 97 patients. Mean age 62.2 +/- 11 years. All patients included had a coronary artery diameter > 2.7 mm. Clinical presentation includes stable angina in 20, unstable angina in 72, and myocardial infarction in 5 patients. According to the ACC/AHA classification 6 lesions were type A, 72 type B and 19 type C. The implantation of the stent was for "de novo" lesions in 85 patients and for restenosis in 12. Patients were treated after the procedure with a combination of aspirin and ticlopidine, except six of them who received aspirin and acenocumarol. 16 patients were treated additionally with Abciximab. The degree of stenosis was determined by quantitative angiography. RESULTS: The delivery of the stent was successful in all patients. The degree of stenosis before the procedure was 79.6 +/- 13.1%, and after the stent deployment was 17.7 +/- 11.4%. Three patients presented a non-Q-wave myocardial infarction, two patients had a subacute stent thrombosis, one of them died due to heart failure. During a follow-up of 4.7 +/- 2.6 months five patients were readmitted with recurrent angina (4 due to restenosis and one for vessel occlusion) and one patient with heart failure after myocardial infarction died suddenly three weeks after the dilatation. CONCLUSIONS: The Multi-Link stent was implanted successfully in all patients with a low incidence of complications, showing at the follow-up a reduced rate of clinical restenosis.