Life-threatening paradoxical thromboembolism in a patient with patent foramen ovale.

BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism represents the third most frequent acute cardiovascular syndrome worldwide. Its clinical manifestations are deep vein thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism. Despite a considerable mortality, diagnosis is often missed.  CASE PRESENTATION: We report the management of a female patient with high-risk pulmonary thromboembolism treated initially with thromboaspiration, complicated by embolus jailing in a patent foramen ovale. In this situation, left cardiac chambers and systemic circulation were jeopardized by this floating embolus. CONCLUSIONS: High-risk pulmonary embolism requires reperfusion strategy but sometimes mechanical thromboaspiration may be not fully successful; transesophageal echocardiography led to a prompt diagnosis of this unexpected finding; in this very particular case, open surgery represented a bail-out procedure to avoid cerebral and systemic embolism.

Etiology, clinical presentation, and management of left main coronary artery aneurysms.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: The widespread use of noninvasive/invasive coronary imaging increased the probability of recognition of coronary aneurysms. Left main coronary aneurysms (LMCA), though rare, are potentially life-threatening but in the absence of controlled studies, guidelines do not provide any specific recommendation for their management. We, therefore, aimed to investigate the epidemiology, clinical presentation, therapeutic strategies, and prognostic implication of LMCA. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was performed to retrieve all the reported cases of LMCA as of December 2021, which were summarized and classified according to their etiology, clinical presentation, and therapeutic management. RESULTS: Out of 1997 works retrieved, 180 studies were analyzed, describing 209 LMCA cases (aged 51 ± 19 years, 68% males). Atherosclerosis was the most common etiology (40%), followed by inflammatory (12%), congenital (9%), or degenerative (6%) conditions. Stable angina (43%) and acute coronary syndromes (32%) were more often the first clinical manifestations, while 29 (14%) LMCA were incidental findings. Most cases were treated surgically (53%), while percutaneous intervention was rarely adopted (7%). Data about antithrombotic therapies were scarce and heterogeneous. Finally, when longitudinal data were reported (n = 81), LMCA resulted associated with a severe prognosis, with a 15% mortality over an 8-month median follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: LMCA are most frequently, but not exclusively, caused by advanced atherosclerosis. Irrespective of their etiology and clinical presentation, LMCA may be associated with high short-term mortality. In absence of controlled studies, a careful evaluation of each case is warranted to optimize therapeutic strategies.

Italian Multicenter Registry of Bare Metal Stent Use in Modern Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Era (AMARCORD): A multicenter observational study.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate the use of bare metal stent (BMS) implantation in current percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) era, focusing on indications for use and clinical outcomes. BACKGROUND: Limited data on BMS usage in current clinical practice are available. METHODS: All patients who underwent PCI with at least one BMS implantation in 18 Italian centers from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2017, were included in our registry. Rates of BMS use and reasons for BMS implantations were reported for the overall study period and for each year. Primary outcomes were mortality, bleeding (Bleeding Academic Research Consortium-BARC and Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction-TIMI non-CABG definitions), and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) defined as the composite of all-cause and cardiac death, any myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularization, or any stent thrombosis. RESULTS: Among 58,879 patients undergoing PCI in the study period, 2,117 (3.6%) patients (mean age 73 years, 69.7% males, 73.3% acute coronary syndrome) were treated with BMS implantation (2,353 treated lesions). The rate of BMS implantation progressively decreased from 10.1% (2013) to 0.3% (2017). Main reasons for BMS implantation were: ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) (23.1%), advanced age (24.4%), and physician's perception of high-bleeding risk (34.0%). At a mean follow-up of 2.2 ± 1.5 years, all-cause and cardiac mortality were 25.6 and 12.7%, respectively; MACE rate was 35.3%, any bleeding rate was 13.0% (BARC 3-5 bleeding 6.3%, TIMI non-CABG major bleeding 6.1%). CONCLUSION: In a large, contemporary, real-world, multicenter registry, BMS use progressively reduced over the last 5 years. Main reasons for BMS implantation were STEMI, advanced age, and physician's perception of high-bleeding risk. High rates of mortality and MACE were observed in this real-world high-risk population.

Hybrid Approach in Acute and Chronic Aortic Disease.

The management of patients with aortic disease that involves the ascending aorta, the aortic arch, and the descending aorta represent a surgical challenge. Open surgical repair remains the gold standard for aortic arch pathologies. However, this operation requires a cardiopulmonary bypass and a period of profound hypothermia and circulatory arrest, which carries a substantial rate of mortality and morbidity. For these reasons, hybrid arch repair that involves a combination of open surgery with endovascular aortic stent graft placement has been introduced as a therapeutic alternative for those patients deemed unfit for open surgical procedures. Hybrid repair requires varying degrees of invasiveness and can be performed as a single-stage procedure or as a two-stage procedure. The choice of the technique is multifactorial, depending on the characteristics of the diseased arch with regard to position of the stent graft proximal landing zone, patient fitness and comorbid status, as well as surgical expertise and hospital facilities. Among the evolving hybrid procedures is the so-called "frozen" or stented elephant trunk technique. Adapted from the classical elephant trunk technique, this approach facilitates the repair of a concomitant aortic arch and proximal descending aortic aneurysms in a single stage under circulatory arrest. This technique is increasingly being used to treat extensive thoracic aortic disease and has shown promising results.

Assessment of residual thrombus burden in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing bivalirudin versus unfractionated heparin infusion: The MATRIX (minimizing adverse hemorrhagic events by transradial access site and angioX) OCT study.

BACKGROUND: Residual stent strut thrombosis after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), negatively affects myocardial perfusion, may increase stent thrombosis risk, and it is associated with neointima hyperplasia at follow-up. OBJECTIVES: To study the effectiveness of any bivalirudin infusion versus unfractionated heparin (UFH) infusion in reducing residual stent strut thrombosis in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). METHODS: Multi-vessel STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI and requiring staged intervention were selected among those randomly allocated to two different bivalirudin infusion regimens in the MATRIX (Minimizing Adverse Haemorrhagic Events by TRansradial Access Site and angioX) Treatment-Duration study. Those receiving heparin only were enrolled into a registry arm. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) of the infarct-related artery was performed at the end of primary PCI and 3-5 days thereafter during a staged intervention. The primary endpoint was the change in minimum flow area (ΔMinFA) defined as (stent area + incomplete stent apposition [ISA] area) - (intraluminal defect + tissue prolapsed area) between the index and staged PCI. RESULTS: 123 patients in bivalirudin arm and 28 patients in the UFH arm were included. Mean stent area, percentage of malapposed struts, and mean percent thrombotic area were comparable after index or staged PCI. The ΔMinFA in the bivalirudin group was 0.25 versus 0.05 mm2 in the UFH group, which resulted in a between-group significant difference of 0.36 [95% CI: (0.05, 0.71); p = .02]. This was mostly related to a decrease in tissue protrusion in the bivalirudin group (p = .03). There was a trend towards more patients in the bivalirudin group who achieved a 5% difference in the percentage of OCT frames with the area >5% (p = .057). CONCLUSIONS: The administration of bivalirudin after primary PCI significantly reduces residual stent strut thrombosis when compared to UFH. This observation should be considered hypothesis-generating since the heparin-treated patients were not randomly allocated.

Development and validation of a risk stratification score for new-onset atrial fibrillation in STEMI patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

AIM: New-onset atrial fibrillation (NOAF) is a complication not infrequent in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) and has been associated with worse in-hospital and long-term prognosis. We aimed to develop and validate a risk score based on common clinical risk factors and routine blood biomarkers to assess the early incidence of NOAF post-pPCI, before discharge. METHODS: The risk score for NOAF occurrence during hospitalisation (about 5 days) was developed in a cohort of 1135 consecutive STEMI patients undergoing pPCI while was externally validated in a temporal cohort of 771 STEMI patients. Biomarkers and clinical variables significantly contributing to predicting NOAF were assessed by multivariate Cox-regression analysis. RESULTS: Independent predictors of NOAF were age ≥80 years (6.97 [3.40-14.30], hazard ratio [95% CI], P < .001), leukocyte count > 9.68 × 103 /µL (2.65 [1.57-4.48], P < .001), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) > 80 ng/L (2.37 [1.13-4.95], P = .02) and obesity (2.07 [1.09-3.92], P = .03). By summing the hazard ratios of these predictors we derived the ALBO (acronym derived from: Age, Leucocyte, BNP and Obesity) risk score which yielded high C-statistics in both the derivation (0.734 [0.675-0.793], P < .001) and validation cohort (0.76 [0.688-0.831], P < .001). In both cohorts, using Kaplan-Meier risk analysis, the ALBO score identified a tertile of patients at highest risk (ALBO >4 points), with percentages of NOAF incidence of 30.8% and 27.4% in the derivation and validation cohort, respectively. CONCLUSION: The ALBO risk score, comprising biomarkers and clinical variables that can be assessed in hospital setting, could help to identify high-risk patients for NOAF after pPCI so that a prompter action can be taken.

Effects of statin therapy on platelet reactivity after percutaneous coronary revascularization in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Statin use is associated with enhanced pharmacodynamic response to clopidogrel in patients with stable coronary artery disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, the impact of statin therapy on clopidogrel response profiles in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) undergoing PCI has not been established and represents the objective of this investigation. On-treatment P2Y12 platelet reactivity was measured using the vasodilator stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) phosphorylation assay before PCI, at hospital discharge, and at 1 month after PCI in ACS patients enrolled in the multicenter, prospective GEne polymorphisms, Platelet Reactivity, and Syntax Score (GEPRESS) study (n = 962). High platelet reactivity (HPR) was defined as platelet reactivity index ≥50%. Statins were prescribed at hospital discharge in 87% (n = 835) of patients. All patients were followed for 1 year. The 1-month HPR rate was lower in statin than in non-statin treated patients (39.6 vs 52%, respectively, p = 0.009). This finding was confirmed also among statin-treated patients with high Syntax score (≥15). After adjustment for differences in baseline characteristics, statin use at discharge was independently associated with 1-month HPR rate (odds ratio, 0.58, 95% confidence interval, 0.38-0.89; p = 0.015). In ACS patients undergoing PCI treated with clopidogrel the use of statins at discharge was associated with significantly lower 1-month HPR rates compared with patients not treated with statins.

Radial versus femoral access in patients with acute coronary syndromes undergoing invasive management: a randomised multicentre trial.

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether radial compared with femoral access improves outcomes in unselected patients with acute coronary syndromes undergoing invasive management. METHODS: We did a randomised, multicentre, superiority trial comparing transradial against transfemoral access in patients with acute coronary syndrome with or without ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction who were about to undergo coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention. Patients were randomly allocated (1:1) to radial or femoral access with a web-based system. The randomisation sequence was computer generated, blocked, and stratified by use of ticagrelor or prasugrel, type of acute coronary syndrome (ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, troponin positive or negative, non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome), and anticipated use of immediate percutaneous coronary intervention. Outcome assessors were masked to treatment allocation. The 30-day coprimary outcomes were major adverse cardiovascular events, defined as death, myocardial infarction, or stroke, and net adverse clinical events, defined as major adverse cardiovascular events or Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) major bleeding unrelated to coronary artery bypass graft surgery. The analysis was by intention to treat. The two-sided α was prespecified at 0·025. The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01433627. FINDINGS: We randomly assigned 8404 patients with acute coronary syndrome, with or without ST-segment elevation, to radial (4197) or femoral (4207) access for coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention. 369 (8·8%) patients with radial access had major adverse cardiovascular events, compared with 429 (10·3%) patients with femoral access (rate ratio [RR] 0·85, 95% CI 0·74-0·99; p=0·0307), non-significant at α of 0·025. 410 (9·8%) patients with radial access had net adverse clinical events compared with 486 (11·7%) patients with femoral access (0·83, 95% CI 0·73-0·96; p=0·0092). The difference was driven by BARC major bleeding unrelated to coronary artery bypass graft surgery (1·6% vs 2·3%, RR 0·67, 95% CI 0·49-0·92; p=0·013) and all-cause mortality (1·6% vs 2·2%, RR 0·72, 95% CI 0·53-0·99; p=0·045). INTERPRETATION: In patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing invasive management, radial as compared with femoral access reduces net adverse clinical events, through a reduction in major bleeding and all-cause mortality. FUNDING: The Medicines Company and Terumo.

Results From the International Drug Coated Balloon Registry for the Treatment of Bifurcations. Can a Bifurcation Be Treated Without Stents?

OBJECTIVES: This observational study assessed the 9-month clinical outcomes in patients with coronary bifurcation lesions suitable for drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty. It was the intention to use DCB's without additional stenting (DCB-only strategy) in selected patients for this chosen strategy. Bail-out main branch (MB) and/or side branch (SB) stenting, however, were permissible when flow limiting dissections or excessive recoil occurred. BACKGROUND: A multitude of interventional strategies have been studied to treat bifurcation lesions. With the availability of DCB angioplasty, investigators have been using this interventional tool with the optional implantation of bare metal stents (BMS). METHODS: This study is an international, prospective, multicenter registry enrolling patients with coronary bifurcation lesions including a side branch ≥2 mm in diameter. Patients with stable angina and documented ischemia or selected forms of unstable angina due to a culprit bifurcation lesion of any Medina classification type were recruited. The primary endpoint was clinically driven target-lesion revascularization (TLR) at 9 months. Secondary endpoints included 9-month major adverse cardiac events (death, myocardial infarction, or TLR), technical success, in-hospital outcomes and vessel thrombosis rates. RESULTS: A total 127 patients 66.1 ± 10.1 years of age were enrolled. Demographic characteristics were 80.3% (102/127) male gender, 31.5% (40/127) diabetes, 91.3% (116/127) hypertension, 7.1% (9/127) ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), and 9.4% (12/127) non ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). The 130 lesions were treated with 184 DCB's and 64 BMS. In 53.8% (70/130) of all lesions the DCB-only strategy could be used while 34.6% (45/130) of lesions had at least 1 stent (BMS) in the main branch, 8.5% (11/130) had at least 1 stent in the side branch and 3.1% (4/130) needed at least 1 stent in the main and side branch. 94.5% patients (121/127) were available for follow-up after 9.8 ± 2.0 months. The TLR rate was 4.6% in the absence of any thrombotic events in the treated vessels whereas the 9-month MACE rate was 6.2%. CONCLUSION: This observational study suggests that the DCB-only strategy is safe and effective to treat selected bifurcations while benefiting from a shortened dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT).

Large Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in a High-Risk Surgical Patient: Combined Percutaneous Transfemoral TAVI and EVAR Procedure.

A 78-year-old man was referred for surgical treatment of a 55 x 59 mm abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). However, clinical and instrumental data revealed a more complex case than was initially thought, the patient having a large AAA in the setting of severe symptomatic aortic stenosis with multiple comorbidities. Following multidisciplinary discussion, a combined transcatheter aortic valve implantation and endovascular aneurysm repair was performed. The present case represents a good example of the importance of the heart team in the project of tailored operative strategies, and in the optimization of the interventional therapy for the individual patient.

Drug eluting balloon: a multipurpose tool for coronary revascularization with optimal long-term follow-up results.

AIMS: This study aimed to evaluate safety and efficacy of drug-coated balloon (DCB) at long-term follow-up; a large series of real-life patients underwent revascularization with DCB for a wide spectrum of clinical and angiographic situations. METHODS AND RESULTS: One hundred ten patients underwent percutaneous revascularization using paclitaxel eluting balloon (Sequent Please, Braun, Germany). End-points were major adverse cardiac events (MACE; all-cause death, myocardial infarction [MI], target vessel revascularisation [TVR], and vessel thrombosis). DCB were used for stable angina (58%), unstable angina/nonST elevation MI (31%) and ST elevation MI (11%). DCB were used for in-stent restenosis (61%), small vessel disease (25%), with bare metal stent (BMS) to avoid long dual antiplatelet therapy (10%) or for impossibility to place a stent (4%). Cumulative MACE at follow-up (median 23 months, IQR 13-32) was 12.7%, with 8.2% all-cause death (1 fatal MI), 4.5% TVR, 3.6% TLR, and no vessel thrombosis. Three of four TLRs occurred in patients who received DEB for DES restenosis. CONCLUSIONS: DCB are a very effective tool for a variety of clinical and angiographic situations. DCB use seems to be affected by a low rate of complications and adequate results at long-term follow-up.

A Case Report of Aortic Intramural Hematoma: From Diagnosis to Endovascular Treatment Guided by Transesophageal Echocardiography.

Aortic intramural hematoma (IMH) accounts for approximately 10%-25% of acute aortic syndromes (AAS), and multi-slice computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are the leading techniques for diagnosis and classification. In this context, endovascular strategies provide a valid alternative to traditional open surgery and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) could play a role in therapeutic decision-making and in endovascular repair procedure guidance. A 57-year-old female patient with IMH extending from the left subclavian artery to the upper tract of the abdominal aorta, underwent endovascular aortic repair using an unibody single-branched stent grafting in the aortic arch and descending aorta with a side branch inserted in the left common carotid artery. To restore proper flow in the left axillary artery, a carotid-subclavian bypass graft was performed. The procedure was guided by angiography and TEE. Intraoperative TEE revealed aortic IMH with a significant fluid component in the middle tunic of the aorta with a wall thickness of over 13 mm. TEE was useful in monitoring of all steps of the procedure, showing the presence of the guidewires into the true lumen, the advancement of the prosthesis, and the phases of release and anchoring. This case highlights the importance of using multimodality imaging techniques to evaluate AAS and demonstrates the growing potential of TEE in guiding endovascular repairs.

Case Report: Role of numerical simulations in the management of acute aortic syndromes.

Penetrating aortic ulcer (PAU) represents a subset of acute aortic syndromes characterized by high rupture risk and management challenges, particularly in elderly patients with significant comorbidities. This case report showcases a 75-year-old patient with a history of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and with multiple PAUs involving the aortic arch, deemed unfit for conventional open surgery. A branched aortic endograft with a pre-cannulated side component for the left subclavian artery (LSA) was employed to preserve the patency of the previous CABG. Two computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations and a morphological analysis were performed on the pre- and post-intervention aortic configurations to evaluate changes in flow rate and pressure drop at LSA level and differences in the lumen size. The results revealed a decrease in the flow rate equal to 2.38% after the intervention and an increase in pressure drop of 4.48 mmHg, while the maximum differences in LSA cross-sectional areas and diameters were 1.49 cm2 and 0.64 cm, respectively. Minimal alteration in LSA blood flow due to the chosen intervention approach confirmed the effectiveness of the selected unibody design endograft with LSA preservation, ensuring myocardial perfusion. Therefore, CFD simulations demonstrate to be a powerful tool to evaluate the hemodynamic consequences of interventions by accurately estimating the main fluid dynamic parameters.

Kissing shockwave balloon in a case of extensive calcified abdominal aorta during transfemoral TAVI.

An 84-year-old man with extensive calcified atherosclerosis of the infrarenal abdominal aorta was diagnosed with severe aortic valve stenosis, presenting with dyspnea. To facilitate transfemoral approach during the TAVI procedure, IVUS-guided intravascular lithotripsy was successfully performed using Kissing Shockwave Balloon Technique.

Short-term outcomes of endovascular aortic aneurysm repair with the new Braile Biomédica® total custom-made abdominal endograft: Experience from three Italian centers.

INTRODUCTION: Since 2019, Braile Biomédica® introduced a novel custom-made abdominal endograft tailored to the aorta's anatomy, featuring sizing every 3 mm and a diameter change from 50 mm to 8 mm. This design permits uncovered fenestrations around a single Z stent, eliminating the need for bridging stents to visceral vessels. Utilizing triple stent technology, optimal neck fixation is ensured, enabling treatment of necks shorter than 2 mm, with three 360° fenestrations optimizing graft fixation. This paper aims to analyze the initial experience with this custom-made infrarenal graft for abdominal aorta aneurysm (AAA), concerning procedural success and post-procedural short-term outcomes. RESULTS: Among 12 patients treated from May 2022 to January 2024, technical success was achieved in 91.7 %, with only one intra-procedural complication. Follow-up CT scans at 1-3 months revealed resolution of an intraoperative endoleak and two late complications: a late type III endoleak and right renal artery occlusion. CONCLUSIONS: The recent experience with Braile Biomédica® custom-made abdominal endograft demonstrates promising outcomes, particularly in treating AAAs with challenging anatomical features.

The enigma of the 'smoker's paradox': Results from a single-center registry of patients with STEMI undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: Smoker's paradox usually refers to the observation of a favorable outcome of smoking patients in acute myocardial infarction. METHODS: From April 2006 to December 2018 a population of 2456 patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) were prospectively enrolled in the MATRIX registry. Ischemic time, clinical, demographics, angiographic data, and 1-year follow-up were collected. RESULTS: Among 2546 patients admitted with STEMI, 1007 (41 %) were current smokers. Smokers were 10 years younger and had lower crude in-hospital and 1-year mortality (1.5 % vs 6 %, p < 0.0001 and 5 % vs 11 %, p < 0.0001), shorter ischemic time (203 [147-299] vs 220 [154-334] minutes, p = 0.002) and shorter decision time (60 [30-135] vs 70 [36-170] minutes, p = 0.0063). Smoking habit [OR:0.37(95 % CI:0.18-0.75)-p < 0.01], younger age [OR 1.06 (95%CI:1.04-1.09)-p < 0.001] and shorter ischemic time [OR:1.01(95%CI:1.01-1.02)-p < 0.05] were associated to lower in-hospital mortality. Only smoking habit [HR:0.65(95 % CI: 0.44-0.9)-p = 0.03] and younger age [HR:1.08 (95%CI:1.06-1.09)-p < 0.001] were also independently associated to lower all-cause death at 1-year follow-up. After propensity matching, age, cardiogenic shock and TIMI flow <3 were associated with in-hospital mortality, while smoking habit was still associated with reduced mortality. Smoking was also associated with reduced mortality at 1-year follow-up (HR 0.54, 95 % CI [0.37-0.78]; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Smoking patients show better outcome after PCI for STEMI at 1-year follow-up. Although "Smoking paradox" could be explained by younger age of patients, other factors may have a role in the explanation of the phenomenon.

Reproducibility of an artificial intelligence optical coherence tomography software for tissue characterization: Implications for the design of longitudinal studies.

BACKGROUND: To assess the reproducibility of coronary tissue characterization by an Artificial Intelligence Optical Coherence Tomography software (OctPlus, Shanghai Pulse Medical Imaging Technology Inc.). METHODS: 74 patients presenting with multivessel ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) underwent optical coherence tomography (OCT) of the infarct-related artery at the end of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) and during staged PCI (SPCI) within 7 days thereafter in the MATRIX (Minimizing Adverse Hemorrhagic Events by Transradial Access Site and angioX) Treatment-Duration study (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01433627). OCT films were run through the OctPlus software. The same region of interest between either side of the stent and the first branch was identified on OCT films for each patient at PPCI and SPCI, thus generating 94 pairs of segments. 42 pairs of segments were re-analyzed for intra-software difference. Five plaque characteristics including cholesterol crystal, fibrous tissue, calcium, lipid, and macrophage content were analyzed for various parameters (span angle, thickness, and area). RESULTS: There was no statistically significant inter-catheter (between PPCI and SPCI) or intra-software difference in the mean values of all the parameters. Inter-catheter correlation for area was best seen for calcification [intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) 0.86], followed by fibrous tissue (ICC 0.87), lipid (ICC 0.62), and macrophage (ICC 0.43). Some of the inter-catheter relative differences for area measurements were large: calcification 9.75 %; cholesterol crystal 74.10 %; fibrous tissue 5.90 %; lipid 4.66 %; and macrophage 1.23 %. By the intra-software measurements, there was an excellent correlation (ICC > 0.9) for all tissue types. The relative differences for area measurements were: calcification 0.64 %; cholesterol crystal 5.34 %; fibrous tissue 0.19 %; lipid 1.07 %; and macrophage 0.60 %. Features of vulnerable plaque, minimum fibrous cap thickness and lipid area showed acceptable reproducibility. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates an overall good reproducibility of tissue characterization by the Artificial Intelligence Optical Coherence Tomography software. In future longitudinal studies, investigators may use discretion in selecting the imaging endpoints and sample size, accounting for the observed relative differences in this study.

A Case of Type B Aortic Dissection: The Role of Transesophageal Ultrasound Guidance in Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair.

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) plays a central role in managing acute and chronic aortic pathologies. With the advancement of transcatheter structural heart procedures, echocardiography has become a key in procedural guidance. Despite consensus on its use for cardiac interventions, ultrasound assistance in aortic procedures is not widely standardized. A 71-year-old obese man with chronic type B aortic dissection underwent a TEVAR procedure, using a single-branched aortic stent graft (Endovastec™ Castor™) and with transesophageal ultrasound guidance. The preprocedural assessment confirmed the presence of aortic dissection of the descending thoracic aorta with a posterior true lumen (TL) and an anterior false lumen (FL), normal aortic valve anatomy and function, normal left ventricular function, absence of intracavity thrombus, and absence of aortic plaques that could prevent the optimal implantation of the stent graft. During the procedure, a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) monitored the positioning of the guide wires, the arrival of the catheter of the thoracic endoprosthesis, and then the implantation of this at the level of the aortic arch and the descending thoracic aorta. Postprocedure TEE evaluation underlined full stent-graft deployment without leaks and successful exclusion of FL with the beginning of thrombosis. Angiography confirms the exclusion of the aneurysm and the absence of endoleaks. This clinical case demonstrates how transesophageal echocardiographic guidance can improve the TEVAR procedure by minimizing fluoroscopy time, contrast medium use, and enabling a better assessment of the dissection anatomy with real-time monitoring of both the TL and the FL. In conclusion, TEE can serve as an auxiliary intraoperative imaging tool to provide good information before, during, and after the procedure, increasing the success and safety of the TEVAR.

Total Endovascular Treatment of Ascending Aorta Pseudoaneurysm After Bentall Procedure.

Ascending aorta pseudoaneurysms represent uncommon but life-threatening complications that can be observed even after a long time in patients who have undergone aortic surgery. We describe an interesting case of a patient with ascending aorta pseudoaneurysm after the Bentall procedure treated with endovascular coil embolization from the right coronary artery. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).