Correlation of Left Atrial Strain and Doppler Measurements with Invasive Measurement of Left Ventricular End-Diastolic Pressure in Patients Stratified for Different Values of Ejection Fraction.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed at exploring the correlation of left atrial longitudinal function by speckle tracking echocardiography (left atrial strain) and Doppler measurements (E/E' ratio) with direct measurements of left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) in patients stratified for different values of ejection fraction. METHODS: The study population was 80 stable patients with sinus rhythm undergoing cardiac catheterization. This population was selected in order to have four groups of 20 patients each with different LV ejection fraction (>55%, 45-54%, 30-44%, and <30%). LVEDP was obtained during cardiac catheterization; peak atrial longitudinal strain (PALS) and mean E/E' ratio were measured in all subjects. RESULTS: Similar correlations with LVEDP of global PALS and E/E' ratio were recorded in patients with preserved (r = -0.79 vs. r = 0.72, respectively; P < 0.0001 for both) or mildly reduced ejection fraction (r = -0.75 vs. r = 0.73, respectively; P < 0.0001 for both). A closer correlation of global PALS compared to E/E' ratio was evident in patients with moderate (r = -0.78 P < 0.0001; vs. r = 0.47 P = 0.01, respectively) and severe reduction (r = -0.74 P < 0.0001; vs. r = 0.19 ns, respectively) of LV ejection fraction. In multivariate analysis of all measurements, global PALS emerged as a determinant of the LVEDP, independent on other confounding factors and, with the cutoff value of 18.0% presented the best diagnostic accuracy to predict a LVDP above 12 mmHg (AUC 0.87). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with preserved or mildly reduced LV ejection fraction, global PALS and mean E/E' ratio presented good correlations with LVEDP. In patients with moderate or severe reduction of ejection fraction, E/E' ratio correlated poorly with invasively obtained LV filling pressures. Global PALS provided an overall better estimation of LV filling pressures.

The role of optical coherence tomography in clarifying the mechanisms for dobutamine stress echocardiography-induced takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a clinical disorder characterized by a transient dilatation and akynesis or dyskinesis of the left ventricular (LV) apex, mimicking an anterior wall acute myocardial infarction in the absence of significant coronary artery disease (CAD). It typically occurs during an episode of severe emotional or physical stress. Recent reports suggested the potential of dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) in inducing the aforementioned syndrome. The transient dysfunction of the LV does not fit any known coronary distribution. Furthermore, there is no obstructive CAD demonstrated at angiography to account for the observed dysfunction. Consequently, the pathophysiology of this syndrome is still undetermined. Here, we report a case of DSE-induced Takotsubo cardiomyopathy in which high-resolution intracoronary imaging was utilized to exclude possible vessel alterations to help provide potential mechanistic explanations for the development of this condition.

Reduced levels of putative endothelial progenitor and CXCR4+ cells in coronary artery disease: kinetics following percutaneous coronary intervention and association with clinical characteristics.

Levels of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and CXCR4-positive cells are decreased in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD); however, their ability to change in response to acute vascular injury remains to be elucidated. Progenitor and CXCR4-positive cells were analysed by flow cytometry from the peripheral blood of 23 healthy controls and 23 patients with CAD, of which 13 patients underwent angiogram and 10 patients received percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent implantation. Baseline levels of progenitor and CXCR4-positive cells were substantially reduced in CAD patients compared to controls, although they were still capable of increasing in response to vascular injury. Levels of progenitor and CXCR4-positive cells were increased to a greater extent in the PCI group compared to angiogram patients. At presentation, levels of putative endothelial progenitor and CXCR4-positive cells were found to be negatively correlated with disease severity. A one-year follow-up revealed that out of the cell populations examined, only levels of CXCR4-positive cells were positively correlated with angina frequency in the PCI group, but not in patients receiving angiogram. Baseline levels of progenitor cells are differentially increased depending upon the severity of vascular injury incurred, regardless of a significant deficit in baseline levels in CAD patients. Levels of putative EPCs and CXCR4-positive cells were negatively correlated with disease severity at presentation, however, only CXCR4-positive cells were associated with patient condition in a one-year follow-up.

Impact of three-dimensional echocardiography in complex congenital heart defect cases: the surgical view.

Other authors have demonstrated the ability of three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography to produce "en face" views of anomalies such as atrioventricular valve disease and atrial and ventricular septal defects. Few data exist about the usefulness of 3D images for more complex congenital heart defects and the surgical impact of this relatively new technology. This study, covering a period of 8 months and including 43 young patients affected by complex congenital heart defects, demonstrated that the routine use of 3D echocardiography is feasible and valuable for some types of cardiac defects. In fact, 3D images have provided more detailed anatomic definition of interrelations between structures in about one-third (15/43) of our cases, yielding new insight into the anatomy analogous to what can be derived from examining a heart specimen. Our surgeons found the 3D images particularly helpful for providing a realistic and almost specimen-like preview of the surgical anatomy that facilitates planning of the surgical program.

Symptomatic failure after sirolimus-eluting stent implantation: a rare but challenging condition.

BACKGROUND: Limited information is available regarding restenosis after implantation of a sirolimus-eluting stent (SES). OBJECTIVE: To report on angiographic characteristics, clinical presentation and treatment of this particularly complex type of coronary lesion. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 1424 SES were implanted in 1159 patients (average 1.2 per patient) for chronic or acute coronary syndromes in the University Hospital of Siena (Siena, Italy), which is a tertiary centre. Symptomatic in-SES restenosis was observed in 26 patients (2.2%) at 10+/-5 months (median eight months, range four to 23 months) following the initial intervention. In-SES restenosis was associated with stable angina in 16 patients, acute myocardial infarction in three patients and unstable angina in seven patients. Two patients had restenosis in two separate SES. Conditions often associated with in-SES restenosis included treatment of chronic total occlusion, geographic miss or in-stent restenosis during the index procedure. Among the first 20 patients, those with focal, in-body SES (type Ic) restenosis received balloon-only angioplasty, and patients with other patterns received repeat SES implantation. Clinical and angiographic follow-up (average 16+/-7 months) recorded one death (noncardiac) in the balloon-only group and four cases of unstable angina (three due to relapsing in-SES restenosis in the balloon-only group and the fourth due to a de novo lesion). Follow-up quantitative angiography showed a higher incidence of binary restenosis after balloon-only treatment (57% versus 17%; P<0.05), as well as higher lumen loss and loss index (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Restenosis after SES implantation occurs more commonly in a focal pattern in-body or at the proximal edge of the stent. Repeat SES implantation appears to be a safer and more effective therapeutic choice than balloon-only angioplasty.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy in a Caucasian Italian woman: case report.

BACKGROUND: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is an acute cardiac syndrome characterized by transient LV regional wall motion abnormalities (with peculiar apical ballooning appearance), chest pain or dyspnea, ST-segment elevation and minor elevations of cardiac enzyme levels CASE PRESENTATION: A 68-year-old woman was admitted to the Emergency Department because of sudden onset chest pain occurred while transferring her daughter, who had earlier suffered a major seizure, to the hospital. The EKG showed sinus tachycardia with ST-segment elevation in leads V2-V3 and ST-segment depression in leads V5-V6, she was, thus, referred for emergency coronary angiography. A pre-procedural transthoracic echocardiogram revealed regional systolic dysfunction of the LV walls with hypokinesis of the mid-apical segments and hyperkinesis of the basal segments. Coronary angiography showed patent epicardial coronary arteries; LV angiography demonstrated the characteristic morphology of apical ballooning with hyperkinesis of the basal segments and hypokinesis of the mid-apical segments. The post-procedural course was uneventful; on day 5 after admission the echocardiogram revealed full recovery of apical and mid-ventricular regional wall-motion abnormalities. CONCLUSION: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a relatively rare, unique entity that has only recently been widely appreciated. Acute stress has been indicated as a common trigger for the transient LV apical ballooning syndrome, especially in postmenopausal women. The present report is a typical example of stress-induced takotsubo cardiomyopathy in a Caucasian Italian postmenopausal woman.

[Hybrid percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stent in combination with bioresorbable vascular scaffolds for complex coronary lesions]. / Procedura ibrida di rivascolarizzazione coronarica percutanea con impiego combinato di stent medicato e scaffold bioriassorbibile per il trattamento di lesioni coronariche complesse.

Drug-eluting stents (DES) have significantly improved the outcome of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI); however, several concerns remain regarding late adverse events associated with the presence of a permanent rigid metallic cage that might impair the natural healing process of the coronary vessel wall. Recently, PCI with bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS) has emerged as an interesting alternative with several potential advantages related to the complete resorption process that occurs within 3-5 years. As a consequence, it reduces the trigger for persistent inflammation, enables restoration of normal vessel reactivity and facilitates positive remodeling. However, current BVS have several limitations, including thicker and wider struts, less radial strength, and limited expansion. A hybrid strategy, combining the use of BVS and DES, is a novel approach that could be useful to avoid the limitations of currently available BVS, particularly in case of PCI for complex coronary lesions.We describe a case of hybrid percutaneous intervention with BVS in combination with DES for managing complex lesions unsuitable for pure scaffolding percutaneous coronary intervention.

[Feasibility and safety of right subclavian access for Edwards Sapien 3 balloon-expandable transcatheter aortic valve implantation]. / Fattibilità e sicurezza dell'impianto succlavio destro di valvola aortica transcatetere balloon-expandable Edwards Sapien 3.

Despite the technical advancements in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), this procedure in patients with peripheral artery disease remains challenging and requires a patient-tailored management by the Heart Team. In-depth assessment of the patient's vascular anatomy is of utmost importance for the management of TAVI procedures with the aim to use the less invasive approach according to the specific patient characteristics. The trans-subclavian approach should be the preferred option in patients with femoral arterial disease undergoing TAVI; however, self-expandable valves have potential limitations, as in case of ascending aorta dilation and high implantation. We present an elegant solution to overcome this challenging situation with good short- and mid-term outcome. A balloon-expandable Edwards Sapien 3 prosthesis was implanted by right subclavian surgical access using a multistep approach. The imaging controls showed good positioning with trivial paravalvular leak. The right subclavian approach for balloon-expandable TAVI implantation is feasible and safe when performed by skilled operators and can be a valid treatment strategy when no other options are available.

Patterns and trends of transcatheter aortic valve implantation in Italy: insights from RISPEVA.

AIMS: Clinical trials have shown that transcatheter aortic valve implantation for aortic stenosis compares favorably to surgical replacement in high-risk patients and is superior to medical therapy in those at prohibitive risk. There is uncertainty however on patterns and trends in transcatheter aortic valve implantation, especially focusing on Italy. METHODS: The RISPEVA study is a prospective Italian registry including 21 institutions. Patients have been enrolled since late 2012, and data collection includes several baseline, procedural, in-hospital, and follow-up details. For the present analysis on patterns and trends, we focused on patients enrolled between 2012 and 2015, and as primary variable on the prevalence of high versus prohibitive surgical risk, limiting our scope to procedural outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 1157 patients were included. The temporal breakdown was 376 (33%) patients enrolled in 2013, 408 (35%) in 2014, and 373 (32%) in 2015. Several patient features differed over time, including risk score, peripheral artery disease, end-stage pulmonary disease, and prior valvuloplasty (all P < 0.05). Several procedural features differed significantly over time, including sheath size, use of general anesthesia, Prostar closure device, predilation, antiembolic device, new TAVI device, and multiple prostheses (all P < 0.05). No significant temporal differences were found for major clinical outcomes, whereas the occurrence of moderate or severe postprocedural regurgitation and pacemaker dependency decreased over the years (both P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: According to the RISPEVA results, the Italian uptake of TAVI is steady, with evident trends toward less invasive approaches and fitter patients.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection in a middle-age woman: percutaneous treatment guided by intracoronary imaging techniques.

: Angiographic diagnosis and treatment of spontaneous coronary artery dissection is challenging. Complementary use of intracoronary imaging can provide information to guide percutaneous treatments, particularly in these challenging settings. Here we report a case of a 52-year-old woman presenting with an anterior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction caused by a spontaneous, long, and spiral dissection of the left anterior descending artery. Intracoronary imaging allowed us to visualize the entry port of the coronary dissection which was not sealed by the first angio-guided stenting. This case demonstrates that, beyond merely diagnostic information, the intracoronary imaging is able to provide information to guide percutaneous treatments, particularly in challenging settings in which coronary angiography reveals its limitations.

[Percutaneous transcatheter closure of an aorta to left atrium fistula with an Amplatzer septal occluder in a patient with a mitral bioprosthesis]. / Chiusura percutanea transcatetere di una fistola tra aorta e atrio sinistro mediante occlusore settale Amplatzer in un paziente con protesi mitralica biologica.

We describe the case of a patient with a mitral bioprosthetic valve undergoing percutaneous closure with fluoroscopy and echocardiographic guidance of a rare left sinus of Valsalva‒left atrial fistula. The original aspect of this case is that the fistula was located at the level of the left sinus of Valsalva next to the mitral valve bioprosthesis with subsequent risk of prosthesis damage and/or occlusion of the left coronary artery at its origin during the procedure.

Outcome of percutaneous hybrid coronary revascularization: bare metal stents jeopardize the benefit of sirolimus-eluting stents in the real world.

BACKGROUND: In an effort to contain procedural costs while limiting the risk of in-stent restenosis, hybrid percutaneous revascularization (ie, stenting with at least one sirolimus-eluting stent [SES] and at least one bare metal stent [BMS] in the same patient) is felt to be a cost-effective alternative to exclusive SES use. OBJECTIVE: To describe the outcome of hybrid percutaneous revascularization for the treatment of patients with multiple coronary artery lesions. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fifty-six patients (42 men; mean age [+/- SEM] 64+/-2) underwent hybrid stenting (average of 1.2 SES/patient and 1.3 BMS/patient). SES were used to treat lesions at higher restenotic potential, including longer lesions, smaller target vessels and bifurcation lesions (mean stent length [+/- SEM] was 21.1+/-1.2 mm for SES and 16.0+/-0.6 mm for BMS; stent diameter mean [+/- SEM] was 2.9+/-0.0 mm for SES and 3.1+/-0.1 mm for BMS; bifurcation lesions were 43% for SES and 7% for BMS; all P<0.01). At nine months of clinical follow-up, no death or myocardial infarction was reported. Twenty-one patients underwent clinically driven repeat coronary angiography at a mean (+/- SEM) of 8+/-1 of months (range two to 12 months) follow-up. Target lesion revascularization procedures were recorded in six patients (11%) for nine lesions (6%). Of these lesions, seven were categorized after blinded analysis as due to in-BMS restenosis and two to in-SES restenosis (P=0.01); three patients (5.4%) underwent reangioplasty for de novo lesions. There was one case of acute in-SES thrombosis. SES showed significantly less neointimal hyperplasia (late lumen loss was 0.4+/-0.1 mm for SES and 1.3+/-0.1 mm for BMS; loss index was 0.15+/-0.05 for SES and 0.48+/-0.05 for BMS; all P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The use of SES resulted in less neointimal hyperplasia even when used to treat lesions at higher risk for restenosis based on angiographic characteristics. BMS implantation significantly limits this beneficial effect, compromising the outcome of hybrid percutaneous coronary revascularization.

[Interrupted aortic arch in a 68-year-old female with hypertension]. / Diagnosi ed immagini di arco artico interrotto in una donna ipertesa di 68 anni.

Interrupted aortic arch (IAA) is a rare congenital malformation of the aorta and aortic arch. We report the case of a 68-year-old female with hypertension and poor control of blood pressure levels. She was diagnosed with aortic coarctation by aortography during young age. A double access angiography was performed that showed a type A IAA, a rare condition in adults that may cause hypertension.

Three-vessel left-ventricular microfistulization syndrome: a rare case of angina.

A 55-year-old woman with angina was found to have multiple fistulae from all three major coronary arteries to the left ventricle. The aortography mimicked a severe aortic insufficiency. This rare vascular anomaly can cause a coronary steal phenomenon and subsequent myocardial ischemia in patients without angiographic evidence of major atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.

Congenital coronary arteriovenous fistulae in a transplanted heart.

We report a very rare case of a heart transplanted man with angiographic documentation of multiple congenital fistulae arising from both coronary arteries and draining into main pulmonary artery. A transthoracic echocardiogram and right heart catheterization were also performed, to assess the functional importance of the shunt. We also carried out a brief review about this rare condition and we reported considerations about its prognosis and treatment.

How should I treat severe symptomatic aortic stenosis with transcatheter aortic valve implantation in a patient with right aortic arch?

BACKGROUND: An 84-year-old man suffering from dyspnoea on mild exertion and a 10-year history of mitral valve replacement with a mechanical prosthesis presented to our department. The patient had an isolated right aortic arch. INVESTIGATION: Transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated severe LV systolic dysfunction (EF 25%), good function of the previously implanted mechanical prosthesis and severe aortic stenosis. Multislice computed tomography confirmed the presence of an isolated right aortic arch with mirror-image branching. DIAGNOSIS: Severe symptomatic aortic stenosis in a patient with right aortic arch at high risk for surgical reintervention. MANAGEMENT: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation using conventional delivery system.

Optical coherence tomography evidence of endothelial erosion as a cause of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

High-resolution intracoronary imaging provided relevant insights into the field of pathophysiology of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Human autopsy studies have shown that endothelial erosion may lead to intravascular thrombosis and acute myocardial infarction. We report the case of a 51-year-old woman presenting with ST-segment elevation ACS. In this patient, frequency domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) was performed into the infarct-related artery, showing in-vivo findings suggestive of endothelial erosion, associated with no flow-obstructing luminal thrombus. In this rare case, endothelial erosion, and subsequent thrombosis, in the proximal third of the artery has probably caused embolization and thrombotic occlusion in the mid third. FD-OCT allowed us to obtain a rare in-vivo image of endothelial erosion, providing relevant insights into the setting of ACS.

The impact of gender on fractional flow reserve measurements.

AIMS: Fractional flow reserve (FFR) allows accurate investigation of the functional significance of intermediate coronary stenoses. The present study set out to study the impact of gender on FFR measurements. METHODS AND RESULTS: Three hundred and seventeen intermediate (40-70% at angiography) stenoses were assessed with FFR in 270 patients (mean age 65.8 ± 10.3 years, 84 females). Resting Pd/Pa (the ratio of mean blood pressure measured distal to the stenosis to mean aortic blood pressure in resting conditions), FFR (Pd/Pa during adenosine-induced hyperaemia) and the ΔPd/Pa (calculated as the change in Pd/Pa during hyperaemia) were measured. There was no difference in the location and degree of stenoses between genders (p>0.5). Similarly, there was no difference in age and in the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (all p>0.2). Resting Pd/Pa also did not differ between genders (0.92 ± 0.08 vs. 0.93 ± 0.05, p=0.23). In response to adenosine, however, a significantly larger ΔPd/Pa (0.14 ± 0.07 vs. 0.11 ± 0.07, p=0.001) and a significantly lower FFR (0.79 ± 0.12 vs. 0.82 ± 0.10, p=0.008) were observed in males. This difference was maintained in a multivariate regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: We observed gender-based differences in FFR data in daily routine. Further studies are necessary to test the mechanism of this observation and how these differences impact on the assessment of haemodynamically relevant stenoses.