Cardiac Abnormalities in Type 1 Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy.

OBJECTIVES: We conducted a retrospective study to characterize the cardiac complications in patients with genetically confirmed type 1 facioscapulohumeral dystrophy. METHODS: We reviewed baseline cardiac investigations, including electrocardiogram, Holter electrocardiogram and echocardiogram, as well as cardiac complications that occurred during follow-up in 56 adult patients (37 men, mean duration of disease: 20 years). RESULTS: Baseline evaluation revealed minor cardiac anomalies in 23 patients including incomplete right bundle branch block (iRBBB) in 13 patients (23%). Over a mean follow-up period of 7.2 years, there was no cardiac death, no patient developed cardiomyopathy, and 28 patients (50%) experienced cardiac anomalies. Among these patients, 3 had one or more major events (heart failure and/or atrial fibrillation). The remaining 25 patients presented minor cardiac anomalies of which iRBBB was the most frequent (25%). CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac anomalies identified during the follow-up of patients with type 1 facioscapulohumeral dystrophy are mainly minor anomalies, dominated by the iRBBB.

Autoimmune Myopathies: Where Do We Stand?

Autoimmune diseases (AIDs) as a whole represent a major health concern and remain a medical and scientific challenge. Some of them, such as multiple sclerosis or type 1 diabetes, have been actively investigated for many decades. Autoimmune myopathies (AIMs), also referred to as idiopathic inflammatory myopathies or myositis, represent a group of very severe AID for which we have a more limited pathophysiological knowledge. AIM encompass a group of, individually rare but collectively not so uncommon, diseases characterized by symmetrical proximal muscle weakness, increased serum muscle enzymes such as creatine kinase, myopathic changes on electromyography, and several typical histological patterns on muscle biopsy, including the presence of inflammatory cell infiltrates in muscle tissue. Importantly, some AIMs are strongly related to cancer. Here, we review the current knowledge on the most prevalent forms of AIM and, notably, the diagnostic contribution of autoantibodies.

SeQuentPlease World Wide Registry: clinical results of SeQuent please paclitaxel-coated balloon angioplasty in a large-scale, prospective registry study.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to assess the safety and efficacy of paclitaxel-coated balloon (PCB) angioplasty in an international, multicenter, prospective, large-scale registry study. BACKGROUND: In small randomized trials, PCB angioplasty was superior to uncoated balloon angioplasty for treatment of bare-metal stent (BMS) and drug-eluting stent (DES) restenosis. METHODS: Patients treated with SeQuent Please PCBs were included. The primary outcome measure was the clinically driven target lesion revascularization (TLR) rate at 9 months. RESULTS: At 75 centers, 2,095 patients with 2,234 lesions were included. The TLR rate was 5.2% after 9.4 months. Definite vessel thrombosis occurred in 0.1%. PCB angioplasty was performed in 1,523 patients (72.7%) with DES or BMS restenosis and 572 patients (27.3%) with de novo lesions. The TLR rate was significantly lower in patients with PCB angioplasty for BMS restenosis compared with DES restenosis (3.8% vs. 9.6%, p < 0.001). The TLR rate did not differ for PCB angioplasty of paclitaxel-eluting stent and non-paclitaxel-eluting sten restenosis (8.3% vs. 10.8%, p = 0.46). In de novo lesions (small vessels), the TLR rate was low and did not differ between PCB angioplasty with and without additional BMS implantation (p = 0.31). CONCLUSIONS: PCB angioplasty in an all-comers, prospective, multicenter registry was safe and confirmed in a large population the low TLR rates seen in randomized clinical trials. PCB angioplasty was more effective in BMS restenosis compared with DES restenosis, with no difference regarding the type of DES.

Clinical safety and efficacy of a novel thin-strut cobalt-chromium coronary stent system: results of the real world Coroflex Blue Registry.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this registry was to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of the Coroflex Blue cobalt-chromium stent in real-world practice. BACKGROUND: The development of cobalt-chromium bare-metal stents (BMS) with thinner struts has lead to better deliverability and lower target-lesion revascularization rates compared with stainless steel BMS. METHODS: The Coroflex Blue Registry was an international, prospective, multicenter registry enrolling patients with symptomatic ischemic heart disease attributable to single de novo or restenotic nonstented lesions of a single vessel amenable for percutaneous stenting. The primary end point was clinically driven target-lesion revascularisation (TLR) 6 months after enrolment, secondary endpoints were technical/procedural success, in-hospital outcome, definite stent thrombosis and major adverse cardiac events (death, myocardial infarction, or TLR) after 6 months. RESULTS: The registry included 2,315 patients (mean age 64.3 +/- 11.1 years, 19.8% diabetes, 37.3% acute myocardial infarction). Although a complex lesion cohort with 60.3% Typ B(2)/C-lesions, the technical success rate was 99.1% and the procedural success rate 98.5%. The incidence of TLR after 6 months was 5.5% and the cumulative 6-month acute/subacute stent thrombosis rate was 1.6%. After 6 months cumulative event-free survival was 90.8% in all patients and 87% in patients with acute PCI for acute myocardial infarction. CONCLUSIONS: This registry demonstrates the safety and efficacy of the Coroflex Blue cobalt-chromium stent platform in real-world practice. In the era of drug-eluting stents (DES), these results raise the serious question if the use of DES for primary prevention of restenosis and TLR is really justified.