Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty of left main coronary artery.

The present study is a retrospective analysis of 15 percutaneous angioplasty procedures of the left main coronary artery performed in 12 patients (8 males (66%) with a mean age of 64 +/- 12 (range 45-79) years. Twelve dilatations were elective: 8 for unstable angina, 3 for stable angina, and 1 after a recent myocardial infarction. All elective patients were protected with at least 1 patent graft to the distal left coronary artery. Emergency dilatation for evolving myocardial infarction with cardiogenic shock was done in 3 patients. The right coronary artery was dominant in 11 cases. The mean ejection fraction was 49 +/- 18% (range 21-7%). All dilatations were done through the femoral approach. Two dilatations were performed with the "kissing balloon" technique and 2 with the "kissing wire" technique. An intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation was used in 3 cases (21%). In 8 cases (53%), 1 additional coronary artery was dilated in the same session. The technical success rate was 100% and the clinical success rate 73%. For the elective dilatations, the technical success rate was 100% and the clinical success rate 92% (11/12). Four patients died during hospitalisation (27%). The mortality rate was 100% (3/3) for emergency dilatations and 8% (1/12) for elective dilatations (patient with dilatation of 3 vessels and 1 graft in the same session). After a mean follow-up of 25 +/- 28 (rang 1-88) months, the 8 patients discharged from hospital were alive.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Early experience with coronary stenting.

From April 1988 to December 1991, we implanted 75 coronary stents (29 self-expanding and 46 balloon expandable) in 62 patients. All had New York Heart Association class II to IV angina, and 11 (18%) had prior coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Thirty nine patients (63%) had 1 vessel disease, and 23 (37%) had multivessel disease. The mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 63 +/- 11%. The indications for coronary stenting were acute post percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) occlusion in 45 (73%) (bail out stenting) and restenosis in 17 (24%) (elective stenting). There were 52 single stent (84%), 7 double stent (11%), and 3 triple stent procedures (5%). The mean stent diameter was 3.8 +/- 0.5 mm, and the mean stent length 21 +/- 7 mm. The attempted vessels were the left main coronary artery in 2(3%), left anterior descending coronary artery in 27 (44%), left circumflex coronary artery in 8 (13%), right coronary artery in 17 (27%), and a saphenous vein graft in 8 (13%). Technical success was achieved in 74 stent implantations (98%). Technical failure occurred in 1 case with a self expanding stent because of inability to reach the lesion. In hospital complications (mean hospital stay 10 +/- 10, range 2-60 days) included temporary stent occlusion in 2 patients (3%) treated by balloon dilatation and thrombolysis with intravenous urokinase, permanent stent occlusion in 5 patients (8%), Q-wave infarction in 5 patients (8%), CABG in 4 patients (11%), and death in 3 patients (5%). At least 1 major complication (Q wave infarction, CABG, or death) occurred in 8 patients (13%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)