Vascular pathology of balloon-expandable flexible coil stents in humans.

The morphologic changes in atherosclerotic coronary arteries and saphenous vein bypass grafts after placement of a balloon-expandable flexible coil stent (Cook) are described. In each case, the vessels were patent despite morphologic evidence of injury and dissection in the vessel wall. The stented region was reendothelialized and the tissue overlying the stent wires consisted primarily of smooth muscle cells. There was minimal inflammatory reaction to the stent wires. These findings suggest that the balloon-expandable flexible coil stent can effectively maintain vessel patency even in the setting of postangioplasty lumen disruption. In addition, the vessels tolerate the metal prosthesis with little evidence of tissue inflammatory reaction.

Hemodynamic evaluation of patients with combined mitral and aortic prostheses.

Complete hemodynamic evaluation of patients with combined aortic and mitral mechanical valve prostheses presents a difficult technical problem. Yet such patients with cardiac symptoms postoperatively often require this evaluation to determine the diagnosis and the advisability of reoperation. A 4 year experience with 22 patients requiring such evaluation is reviewed. Eight patients (36 percent) required reoperation for malfunction of the prosthesis. Four (18 percent) had major complications of the cardiac catheterization study, but no fatalities or residual permanent defects resulted. In 17 cases transthoracic left ventricular needle entry was used. A standardized procedure of this type for both pressure measurement and angiographic studies has evolved, providing reasonable efficiency and a relative degree of safety. The patient is positioned in the right anterior oblique position for optimal needle entry into the left ventricular apex and angiographic visualization of mitral prosthetic incompetence and the myocardial contractile pattern. A 16 gauge needle with side holes but no end hole allows ventriculography to be performed after chamber entry using the prostheses as reference points under fluoroscopic guidance. Retrograde catheterization of the aortic prosthesis, transseptal left atrial catheterization with anterograde crossing of the mitral prosthesis and transapical pressure measurement with a similar needle, combined with quantitative left atrial angiography, are alternative choices for study.

Tricuspid atresia in adults.

Congenital atresia of the tricuspid valve is still uncommon in adult patients. However, increasingly successful palliative surgery in children now has increased its incidence after age 15 years. This investigation updates the clinical features of this disease in adults in light of modern diagnostic and surgical techniques. The data on all 18 adults with tricuspid atresia having angiography after age 15 years at this institution since 1970 were reviewed. The patients' ages ranged up to 45 years; 12 had had previous palliative surgery. Left cineventriculography, particularly biplane, with the long axial view (60 degrees left anterior oblique with cranial angulation) is the most important diagnostic mode and reveals the ventricular and great vessel relations. According to standard classification, 11 patients had type I anatomy (normal great arterial relations), 4 type II (transposed great arteries) and 2 type III ("corrected transposition of the great arteries"). One patient with inverted ventricles could not be classified. Associated additional congenital defects were uncommon. On the basis of these data, a new anatomic classification of tricuspid atresia is given which encompasses all possible atrial-ventricular-great arterial combinations. Seven patients had further surgery after study, including two procedures of the Fontan type (right atrium to pulmonary arterial conduit). Follow-up data on all 18 patients revealed two deaths (one early after operation, one late after study without further surgery). The remaining 16 patients survive 2 to 120 months after study. Four patients had naturally balanced pulmonary and systemic circulations and have survived to ages 21 to 41 years without surgery. Prudent surgical decision based on accurate anatomic diagnosis and the need for optimal effective pulmonary blood flow may result in a relatively optimistic prognosis in adults with this disease.

Acute angiographic and clinical results of long balloon percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and adjuvant stenting for long narrowings.

Historically, long coronary artery stenoses undergoing percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) are reported to have reduced procedural and clinical success in comparison with shorter lesions. The efficacy of long balloons (30 or 40 mm) in long lesions was evaluated. Eighty-two patients had 84 PTCA procedures with a primary long balloon. In all, 86 lesions were available for analysis. Data were collected prospectively on standard PTCA procedure forms. Coronary angiograms were reviewed and measured with digital calipers. Hospital charts were examined for complications. PTCA was performed in the left anterior descending artery in 44 cases (51%), the right coronary artery in 29 (34%) and the circumflex artery in 13 (15%). With the use of a modified classification system, 47 lesions (55%) were class C, 24 (28%) were class B2 and 15 (17%) were class B1. Mean lesion length was 22 +/- 11 mm (range 10 to 72), and 38 lesions (44%) were > or = 20 mm. Twelve patients received an intracoronary stent. The long balloon alone produced angiographic success (< 50% residual stenosis) in 77 lesions (90%). Angiographic success was achieved ultimately in all stenoses, using a stent in 7 patients and a short balloon in 2. There were 2 deaths (2%) and 1 Q-wave myocardial infarction (1%). One patient needed coronary artery bypass surgery. Clinical success without death, Q-wave infarction or bypass surgery was achieved in 83 of 86 procedures (97%). In conclusion, the use of long PTCA balloons with adjuvant stenting produced excellent results in these long stenoses. Lesion length was not a precursor of poor angiographic or clinical outcome.

Collateral flow in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

To assess the change in angiographically visualized collaterals in evolving acute myocardial infarction (AMI), coronary arteriograms from 53 patients obtained 6.2 +/- 0.2 hours after onset of AMI symptoms were compared with follow-up angiograms obtained 14 +/- 1 days later. Collaterals were graded according to intensity score and percent of distal infarct-related artery visualized. Collateral intensity score and the percent of distal infarct vessel visualized by collaterals at baseline were low, and there was a significant increase in both values at follow-up angiography. The group of 20 patients with occluded infarct vessels at follow-up study accounted for these increases. In 33 patients with patent infarct vessels at repeat angiography, collateral intensity score and percent of segment visualized were unchanged. Among the patients with occluded infarct vessels at baseline and subsequent improvement in left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF), baseline collateral score and percent of segment visualized were significantly greater than in patients in whom LVEF did not improve. Thus, in patients with evolving AMI, (1) angiographically visible collaterals are not extensive within the early hours of AMI, (2) the extent of collaterals on follow-up angiography may not be representative of that on the day of AMI, (3) collaterals are considerably more common 2 weeks after AMI, especially in patients with occluded infarct arteries during follow-up, and (4) collaterals present at the time of AMI are associated with improved LVEF at 2 weeks.

Efficacy of coronary stenting in the management of cardiac allograft vasculopathy.

We undertook a study to determine the efficacy of stents in reducing restenosis in cardiac allograft vasculopathy. The result shows that coronary stenting significantly reduces restenosis in cardiac allograft vasculopathy compared with balloon angioplasty alone.

Results of elective stenting of branch-ostial lesions.

Coronary stenting using both Palmaz-Schatz and Gianturco-Roubin stents for branch ostial lesions was performed in 48 patients with high success and low complication rates. The 6-month event-free survival rates were high in these patients.

Heparin and infarct coronary artery patency after streptokinase in acute myocardial infarction.

Anticoagulant therapy is frequently used after thrombolytic agents in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) although it is unclear that such therapy will prevent subsequent infarct vessel reocclusion. The role of duration of heparin therapy in maintaining infarct artery patency was studied retrospectively in 53 consecutive AMI patients who received streptokinase therapy and underwent coronary angiography acutely and at 14 +/- 1 days. Of the 39 patients with initial infarct vessel patency, patency at follow-up angiography was observed in 100% (22 of 22) of those who received greater than or equal to 4 days of intravenous heparin but in only 59% (10 of 17) of those patients who received less than 4 days of heparin (p less than 0.05). Of the 14 patients not initially recanalized after streptokinase, patent infarct-related arteries at follow-up angiography were found in 3 of 8 (38%) treated with greater than or equal to 4 days of heparin therapy but in none of the 6 patients treated for less than 4 days (difference not significant). No significant difference in hemorrhagic complications was noted between the short- and long-term heparin treatment groups. Thus, greater than or equal to 4 days of intravenous heparin therapy after successful streptokinase therapy in AMI is more effective in maintaining short-term infarct vessel patency than a shorter duration of therapy and it may maintain the short-term patency of the infarct vessel in those patients who later spontaneously recanalize.

Comparison of balloon angioplasty versus debulking devices versus stenting in right coronary ostial lesions.

Angioplasty of aorto-ostial stenosis is associated with lower procedural success and a higher complication rate. The aim of the present study was to compare the acute and long-term results of balloon and new device angioplasty in 110 consecutive patients with right coronary ostial lesions. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to the angioplasty device used: group I (balloon only, n = 26), group II (debulking devices including excimer laser, directional and rotational atherectomy, n = 26), group III (stent, n = 58). Procedural success was highest in group III (96%) followed by group I (88%), and group II (77%). In-hospital complications were similar among the groups (p = NS). Patients in group III achieved the highest acute gain (2.61 mm) followed by groups II (1.92 mm), and I (1.39 mm, p <0.05). During follow up, target lesion revascularization and/or bypass surgery was required in 24% of patients in group III compared with 47% and 40% in groups I and II, respectively (p <0.05). Cardiac-event free survival was highest in the stent group (74%, p <0.005) and was similar between the balloon (39%) and debulking device groups (45%). Thus, among the currently available technologies, stenting of right coronary ostial lesions appears to provide excellent angiographic and long-term results.

Bochdalek hernia of diaphragm in the adult. Diagnosis by computed tomography.

Two cases of asymptomatic Bochdalek hernia in adults with identical roentgenographic findings are reported. Computed tomography (CT) in each case revealed a round mass with a low attenuation coefficient identical to that of adipose tissue, abutting the thoracic surface of the diaphragm and connecting with the subdiaphragmatic density through a diaphragmatic defect. A case of diaphragmatic lipoma was also presented for demonstration of the CT differentiation between lipoma and hernia of the diaphragm. The CT findings for a Bochdalek hernia are characteristic enough for making a definite diagnosis and render other diagnostic modalities unnecessary.

Role of percutaneous cardiopulmonary bypass and other support devices in interventional cardiology.

Percutaneous cardiopulmonary bypass support has a role to play in the management of the high-risk coronary angioplasty patient. This article discusses the basic principles of cardiopulmonary bypass, technique, indications, and complications of this new addition to interventional cardiology. In addition, the role of other support devices during high-risk coronary interventions is also discussed.