Revascularization strategies in patients with infective endocarditis-related ST-elevation myocardial infarction: The STEMI-ENDO Registry.

OBJECTIVE: Infective endocarditis (IE)-related ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is extremely rare. A clear clinical consensus is lacking regarding the management of this emergency. In this study, we aimed to describe the clinical outcomes of treatment strategies in this patient population. METHODS: The study population comprised 19 retrospectively evaluated patients (nine women; mean age 52±11.8 years) with a diagnosis of IE-related STEMI. Transesophageal echocardiography detected vegetation in all the patients. The study population was divided into two groups on the basis of in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: Major clinical manifestations included dyspnea (89.5%), fever (78.9%), and chest pain (63.2%). Catheter-based coronary angiography was performed in all the patients. The causative agent was isolated in all the cases, and Staphylococcus aureus was identified in seven (36.8%). The most common infarction was in the left anterior descending artery (n=12 [63.2%]). The treatment strategy consisted of mechanical thrombectomy (n=1), valve replacement following stent implantation (n=5), direct balloon angioplasty (n=4), valve replacement along with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG; n=6), and medical follow-up (n=3). Moreover, thrombolysis in myocardial infarction III flow was significantly higher in the survival group (100% vs. 0%, p<0.001). All these patients preferred CABG or stent implantation for revascularization. CONCLUSION: The current data suggest that a revascularization strategy with stent implantation or revascularization with CABG has a lower mortality rate in patients with IE-related STEMI.

Atherectomy Combined with Balloon Angioplasty versus Balloon Angioplasty Alone for de Novo Femoropopliteal Arterial Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials.

OBJECTIVE: The efficacy and cost effectiveness of atherectomy for femoropopliteal (FP) arterial diseases have not been determined yet. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to compare the efficacy and safety between atherectomy combined with balloon angioplasty (BA) and BA alone for patients with de novo FP steno-occlusive lesions. METHODS: The Cochrane Library, Medline, and Embase were used to search for studies evaluating outcomes of atherectomy combined with BA compared with BA alone in FP arterial diseases from inception to July 2020. The methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated with the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) framework was used to assess the level of evidence for each outcome. The fixed effects model was chosen to combine the data when I2 < 50%; otherwise, the random effects model was used. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed to further analyse the results. RESULTS: Four RCTs were included. The meta-analysis showed that atherectomy combined with BA was associated with improved technical success rate (risk ratio [RR] 0.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.13-0.38, p < .001; I2 = 0; high quality), reduced bailout stenting (RR 0.15, 95% CI 0.07-0.32, p < .001; I2 = 16%; high quality), and flow limiting dissection (RR 0.24, 95% CI 0.13-0.47, p < .001; I2 = 0; high quality). No statistically significant difference was found in target lesion revascularisation (TLR), primary patency, mortality, major adverse event (MAE), or ankle brachial index (ABI) after one year follow up. CONCLUSION: Compared with BA alone, atherectomy combined with BA may not improve primary patency, TLR, mortality rate, or ABI, but may reduce the need for bailout stenting and the incidence of flow limiting dissection and increase the technical success rate in FP arterial diseases. More studies are warranted to further confirm the conclusion.

Percutaneous angioplasty in the treatment of thrombosed hemodialysis fistulas: A single-center experience with 1 year of follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: Thrombosis of a hemodialysis arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is a serious complication that needs urgent treatment. Most cases are treated surgically, but recently, endovascular strategies have become a viable alternative. This study is an evaluation of the success and patency rate of percutaneous balloon angioplasty of thrombosed hemodialysis fistulas using a drug-coated balloon (DCB) contrasted with a standard balloon (SB). METHODS: The data of 33 patients with a thrombosed native hemodialysis AVF treated percutaneously in a tertiary care center were analyzed retrospectively. Success of the procedure was defined as restoration of flow with less than 30% residual stenosis and resumption of dialysis through the hemodialysis AVF. The success rate of the procedure and the patency rate at 1, 6, and 12 months were evaluated. The effect on patency of a DCB was compared to that of a SB. RESULTS: Twenty-five radiocephalic and 8 brachiocephalic thrombosed hemodialysis AVFs were treated during the study period. Flow was restored in 23 thrombosed fistulas, a success rate of 69.7%. The patency rate of successfully treated fistulas was 95.6% at 1 month, 76.1% at 6 months, and 57.9% at 12 months. Ten of the 23 re-established AVFs were treated with a DCB and the remainder were treated with a SB. The patency of the fistulas treated with a DCB was similar to that of a SB at 1 month (100% vs 92.3%, respectively; p=0.393). The patency rate of a DCB was greater than that of a SB at 6 months (88.9% vs 66.7%, respectively; p=0.258) and 12 months (75% vs 45.4%, respectively; p=0.219). CONCLUSION: Percutaneous intervention for thrombosed hemodialysis AVFs is a safe, minimally invasive, and effective procedure. There was a positive trend in the patency rate of patients treated with a DCB at 6 and 12 months compared with a SB.

Novel Balloon Pulmonary Angioplasty Technique for Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension.

This study aimed to clarify the usefulness of the Ikari-curve left (IL) guiding catheter for balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA).The current BPA strategy for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension is dilation of as many branches as possible to normalize hemodynamics and oxygenation. The shape of the guiding catheter is a major factor in achieving this. However, conventional guiding catheters are difficult to introduce into particular branches. The IL guiding catheter may be suitable; however, its utility remains unclear.We retrospectively analyzed 202 consecutive BPA sessions of 40 patients from November 2016 to October 2019 and divided these sessions into two groups: the IL group where the IL guiding catheter was used and the non-IL group where other catheters were utilized. The occurrence of lung injury was determined by the presence of bloody sputum. We compared the rates of successful introduction into target vessels and assessed for the occurrence of lung injury.The average age of enrolled patients was 60.3 ± 14.4 years, with females comprising 65%. There were 99 sessions in the IL group. The median treated branches per session differed between the 2 groups (IL group: 15 versus non-IL group: 10, P < 0.05). The occurrence of lung injury was lower in the IL group (4.0% versus 11.7%, P = 0.07). The IL group had more successful vessel insertions than the non-IL group (78.8% versus 42.7%, P < 0.01).The IL guiding catheter may be introduced into branches that cannot be accessed by conventional guiding catheters.

Paclitaxel coated-balloon (PCB) versus standard plain old balloon (POB) fistuloplasty for failing dialysis access.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of paclitaxel-coated balloon compared with conventional plain balloon for the treatment of failing native dialysis access. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective study included 60 patients presenting to the Kasr Alainy Hospitals and Aseer Central Hospital in the period from September 2015 to December 2017 with failing native vascular access. Dilatation with a plain balloon was done in 30 patients (group I) and with a paclitaxel-coated balloon in 30 patients (group II) with either stenosis or occlusion. The majority were outflow lesions, with 20 (66.7 %) patients in group I and 21 (70%) patients in group II. Mean balloon diameter was 7.1mm (± 1.5mm) compared with 6.5mm (± 1.2mm) and length 66mm (± 19.1mm) compared with 54.6mm (± 15.7mm), respectively. Safety endpoint was reported as 30 day's freedom from procedure-related major complications and mortality. Procedural technical success was defined as a residual diameter 30% or less for treated lesions. Target lesion primary patency, circuit primary patency and secondary patency were reported at 3, 6 and 12 months. RESULTS: There were no 30-day procedure-related major complications or mortality in either group. Procedural technical success of 100% was achieved in both groups. Target lesion primary patency, circuit primary patency and secondary patency in group II were better than in group I, especially at 12 months (90% vs 66.7%, 83.3% vs 60% and 96.7% vs 93.3%, respectively). There was a statistically significant difference in target lesion primary patency (p = 0.029) in patients who were treated with paclitaxel-coated balloon angioplasties. CONCLUSION: The paclitaxel-coated balloon proved to be safe and effective, and improved the patency of failing vascular access. Results are comparable with previous studies.

Optimized drug-coated balloon angioplasty of the superficial femoral and proximal popliteal arteries using the Tack Endovascular System: TOBA III 12-month results.

OBJECTIVE: The Tack Endovascular System (Intact Vascular, Wayne, Pa) combines low-metallic content with focal delivery to seal areas of dissection associated with balloon angioplasty. The device system is designed to treat vascular dissections in the superficial femoral and proximal popliteal arteries. Tack implants exert low radial force and are associated with minimal metal burden, which reduces the mechanical stress on the arterial wall in treating dissections after balloon angioplasty. This study investigated the safety and effectiveness of the Tack Endovascular System in patients with dissections after drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty. METHODS: The Tack Optimized Balloon Angioplasty III (TOBA III) study is a prospective, multicenter, single-arm study in which patients who underwent percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with the Medtronic IN.PACT Admiral DCB (Medtronic, Dublin, Ireland) and experienced dissection after angioplasty were treated with Tack implants. The primary end points were freedom from major adverse events at 30 days and primary patency at 12 months. RESULTS: A total of 201 patients were enrolled in the trial, 169 with standard-length lesions (≥20 mm and ≤150 mm) and 32 with long-length lesions (>150 mm and ≤250 mm). Safety and effectiveness results were favorable compared with historical benchmarks at 12 months in the standard-lesion cohort. Notably, patients in the standard-lesion cohort experienced 95.0% primary patency, 97.5% freedom from clinically driven target lesion revascularization, 100% freedom from amputation, and 100% survival at 12 months (P < .0001). Primary patency in long-lesion patients was 89.3%, freedom from clinically driven target lesion revascularization was 96.8%, and freedom from amputation was 100% at 12 months. Device success was achieved in 95.8% (182/190) and 97.7% (43/44) of devices deployed into standard-lesion and long-lesion patients, respectively. Procedural success was 99.4% (168/169) and 100% (44/44) in the standard-lesion and long-lesion cohorts, respectively, with only one bailout stent placed in the entire population. CONCLUSIONS: The Tack Endovascular System is a safe and effective treatment option for patients with dissections after angioplasty in the superficial femoral and proximal popliteal arteries, with high patency, low rates of secondary intervention, and low incidence of bailout stenting when it is used in combination with DCB.

Use and 1-year outcomes with conventional and drug-coated balloon angioplasty in patients with lower extremity peripheral artery disease.

BACKGROUND: With the growing use of drug-coated balloons for the treatment of peripheral artery disease, information regarding the safety and effectiveness of drug-coated balloons in current practice is needed. We examined patient, physician, and procedural characteristics as well as cardiovascular and limb events in patients who underwent peripheral vascular intervention with drug-coated balloons. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort analysis utilizing Medicare data for 100% of fee-for-service beneficiaries from 2015 to 2016 who had a claim for femoropopliteal intervention. The use of drug-coated balloons was identified via specific transitional pass-through codes. All-cause mortality, all-cause hospitalization, repeat femoropopliteal intervention, and major lower extremity amputation at 1 year were the clinical outcomes of interest. RESULTS: In total, 83,225 patients underwent femoropopliteal intervention, and drug-coated balloons were utilized in 29% of all procedures. Patients treated with drug-coated balloons had a lower cumulative incidence of all-cause hospitalization, all-cause mortality, and major lower extremity amputation, but were more likely to undergo repeat femoropopliteal intervention when compared with patients treated with conventional balloon angioplasty. After adjustment for measured confounders, patients treated with drug-coated balloons had lower rates of hospitalization (HR 0.91 (0.88, 0.93), P < .001), all-cause mortality (HR 0.89 [0.84, 0.94], P < .001), and major amputation (HR 0.93 [0.88, 0.99], P = .017). CONCLUSIONS: Patients who underwent femoropopliteal intervention with drug-coated balloons had lower observed rates of all-cause mortality, all-cause hospitalization, and major amputation at 1 year. Interestingly, there was not a reduction in rates of repeat revascularization, and further work is required to understand this finding. Nevertheless, the use of drug-coated balloons appears to be safe in this large study of contemporary patients in the United States.

Comparison between paclitaxel-coated balloon and standard uncoated balloon in the treatment of femoropopliteal long lesions in diabetics.

Atherosclerotic diseases may include femoropopliteal artery stenosis or occlusion. Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) is an effective and minimally invasive treatment strategy for atherosclerotic femoropopliteal artery stenosis/occlusion disease. Balloon angioplasty is a widely used technique in the management of occlusive disease in almost all arterial segments.We enrolled 111 diabetics with long femoropopliteal lesions, among which 54 received PTA with paclitaxel-coated balloon (the Paclitaxel group), and 57 with standard balloon catheters (the Control group).The primary outcome was set as angiographic late lumen loss (LLL) within 6 months; the secondary angiographic outcome was binary restenosis. Clinical outcomes included Rutherford clarification, ankle-brachial index (ABI) and rate of clinically driven target lesion revascularization (TLR). Two groups had similar basal clinical features, angiographic and procedural characteristics. Compared to controls, the Paclitaxel group had a significantly lower 6-month LLL rate, 12-month binary restenosis rate, 12-month TLR, lower Rutherford grades at 3 and 6 months, and higher ABI at 3 months. For all factors which might influence outcomes, fasting blood glucose was negatively correlated with ABI; the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) was positively related with the Rutherford clarification grades. In addition, the coronary heart disease (CHD) and smoking histories were positively correlated with residual stenosis after treatment.Collectively, the paclitaxel-coated balloon angioplasty can yield more favorable angiographic and clinical outcomes than standard uncoated balloon angioplasty, even in the more challenging lesions (the long and occlusive femoropopliteal lesions) in diabetics, when it had a similar safety profile to the traditional balloon. Blood glucose, BUN, CHD, and smoking imply poor curative effects.

Contributors Toward Pulmonary Vein Restenosis Following Successful Intervention.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to identify clinical and procedural risk factors associated with pulmonary vein (PV) restenosis. BACKGROUND: Pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) is a rare but morbid complication of PV isolation for atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. Interventions such as PV balloon angioplasty (BA) or stenting achieve excellent acute success; however, subsequent restenosis is common. METHODS: A total of 113 patients underwent invasive treatment for severe PVS between 2000 and 2014 and were followed prospectively. Baseline patient and lesion characteristics were abstracted from chart review and analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using patient and procedural characteristics to determine which factors were associated with an increased risk for subsequent PV restenosis. RESULTS: Over a median follow-up of 4.6 years there was PVS recurrence in 75 veins; 52 veins (57%) were treated with index BA and 23 veins were treated with stenting. After multivariate analysis, the only patient factor that was significantly associated with restenosis was a history of more than 1 AF ablation (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.91; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07 to 3.41; p = 0.03). Multivariate analysis on a per-vein level demonstrated a significantly lower risk of restenosis in veins treated with a stent (HR: 2.84; 95% CI: 1.75 to 4.61; p < 0.0001). In veins treated with BA alone, inflation of the balloon to higher atmospheres significantly reduced the risk of recurrence (HR: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.78 to 0.98; p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Restenosis is common after a successful PV intervention and the risk of restenosis is highest in those with a history of multiple AF ablations and in those treated with BA. Proceduralists should take into account the number of AF ablations a patient has undergone and should strongly consider stent deployment when intervening on PVS to reduce risk of restenosis.

Hemodialysis Arteriovenous Fistula and Graft Stenoses: Randomized Trial Comparing Drug-eluting Balloon Angioplasty with Conventional Angioplasty.

Purpose To compare lesion primary patency and restenosis rates between drug-eluting balloon (DEB) percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) and conventional balloon PTA (cPTA) in the treatment of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) and arteriovenous graft (AVG) stenosis. Materials and Methods In this prospective study, 119 participants (mean age, 59.2 years; 79 men, 40 women) with failing AVFs (n = 98) or AVGs (n = 21) were randomly assigned to undergo either DEB PTA (n = 59) or cPTA (n = 60) from January 2012 to May 2013. Primary end points were lesion primary patency and restenosis rates at 6 months; secondary outcomes were anatomic and clinical success after PTA, circuit primary patency at 6 months and 1 year, and lesion primary patency at 1 year. Statistical analysis was performed by using the Kaplan-Meier product limit estimator, and hazard ratio was calculated by using Cox proportional hazards regression. Complication rates were assessed in both groups. Results Estimated lesion primary patency in the DEB PTA and cPTA arms was 0.81 and 0.61, respectively, at 6 months (P = .03) and 0.51 and 0.34, respectively, at 1 year (P = .04). Estimated circuit primary patency in the DEB PTA and cPTA arms was 0.76 and 0.56, respectively, at 6 months (P = .048) and 0.45 and 0.32, respectively, at 1 year (P = .16). Restenosis rate was 34.0% (16 of 47) for DEB PTA and 62.9% (22 of 35) for cPTA at 6 months (P = .01). No major complications were noted. Conclusion Drug-eluting balloon angioplasty was effective in prolonging lesion primary patency of dialysis access stenoses at 6 months and 1 year. © RSNA, 2018.

Mid-term sustained relief from headaches after balloon angioplasty of the internal jugular veins in patients with multiple sclerosis.

OBJECTIVES: Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients frequently suffer from headaches and fatigue, and many reports have linked headaches with intracranial and/or extracranial venous obstruction. We therefore designed a study involving MS patients diagnosed with obstructive disease of internal jugular veins (IJVs), with the aim of evaluating the impact of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) on headache and fatigue indicators. METHODS: 286 MS patients (175 relapsing remitting (RR), 75 secondary progressive (SP), and 36 primary progressive (PP)), diagnosed with obstructive disease of IJVs, underwent PTA of IJVs during the period 2011-2015. This included 113 headache positive patients (82 RR, 22 SP, and 9 PP) and 277 fatigue positive patients (167 RR, 74 SP, and 36 PP). Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS), and the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) were evaluated: before PTA; 3-months after PTA; and at final follow-up in 2017. Patients were evaluated with Doppler sonography of the IJVs at 1, 6 and 12 months after PTA and yearly thereafter. Non-parametric statistical analysis was performed using a combination of the Friedman test and Spearman correlation analysis. RESULTS: With the exception of the PP patients there were significant reductions (all p < 0.001) in the MIDAS and FSS scores in the 3-month following PTA. The improvement in MIDAS score following PTA was maintained throughout the follow-up period in both the RR (p < 0.001; mean of 3.55 years) and SP (p = 0.002; mean of 3.52 years) MS cohorts. With FSS, significant improvement was only observed at 2017 follow-up in the RR patients (p < 0.001; mean of 3.37 years). In the headache-positive patients, post-PTA MIDAS score was significantly negatively correlated with the change in the blood flow score in the left (r = -0.238, p = 0.031) and right (r = -0.250, p = 0.023) IJVs in the RR patients and left IJV (r = -0.727, p = 0.026) in the PP patients. In the fatigue-positive cohort, post-PTA FSS score was also significantly negatively correlated with the change in blood flow in the right IJV in the PP patients (r = -0.423, p = 0.010). In addition, the pre and post-PTA FSS scores were significantly positively correlated in the fatigue-positive RR (r = 0.249, p = 0.001) and SP patients (r = 0.272, p = 0.019). CONCLUSIONS: The intervention of PTA was associated with a large and sustained (>3 years) reduction in MIDAS score in both RR and SP MS patients. While a similar initial post-PTA reduction in FSS score was also observed, this was not maintained in the SP and PP patients, although it remained significant at follow-up (>3 years) in the RR MS patients. This suggests that venoplasty might be a useful intervention for treating patients with persistent headaches and selected concomitant obstructive disease of the IJVs.

Proximal radial artery arteriovenous fistula for hemodialysis vascular access.

OBJECTIVE: This study reviewed our experience with proximal radial artery-based arteriovenous fistulas (PRA-AVFs) for hemodialysis vascular access, evaluating characteristics of the patients, functional patency, risk of steal syndrome, survival of the patient, and technical considerations. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed our database of consecutive patients, identifying those individuals with a PRA-AVF created during a 12-year period. In addition to physical examination, all patients underwent ultrasound vessel mapping by the operating surgeon, identifying the PRA-AVF configuration and outflow target most likely to succeed. RESULTS: PRA-AVFs were created in 1396 individuals during the 12-year study period. The mean age was 59 years (standard deviation, ±15.9 years); 717 (51%) patients were women, 819 (59%) were diabetic, and 394 (28%) were obese. A transposition procedure was required in 400 patients, and 189 (47%) of these were completed in two-staged operations. Preoperative characteristics with a negative impact on PRA-AVF cumulative patency included female gender (hazard ratio, 1.90; 95% confidence interval, 1.37-2.65), obesity (hazard ratio, 1.92; 95% confidence interval, 1.40-2.65), and younger age. Dialysis-associated steal syndrome (DASS) requiring an intervention occurred in 39 (2.8%) patients, and 85% of these were diabetic. The most common procedures required to restore hand perfusion while preserving the AVF were banding and outflow branch ligation or coil occlusion to decrease access flow. DASS emerged spontaneously in 15 (1.1%) of the patients, and 24 (1.7%) individuals developed hand ischemia requiring intervention after fistulography with balloon angioplasty of the PRA-AVF anastomosis during the first years of the study period. Limiting angioplasty balloon size for such patients avoided these uncommon angioplasty-induced DASS events in later years. Primary, primary assisted, and cumulative (secondary) patency rates were 60%, 90%, and 93% at 12 months and 47%, 86%, and 91% at 24 months, respectively. Follow-up was 0.7 to 127 months (median, 25 months). CONCLUSIONS: PRA-AVFs offer excellent functional patency with low risk of dialysis access-related steal syndrome. The antecubital site has a wide range of venous outflow options for both direct PRA-AVFs and transposition procedures.

Comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness and safety of balloon pulmonary angioplasty for inoperable chronic thrombo-embolic pulmonary hypertension: long-term effects and procedure-related complications.

AIMS: Although balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) improves haemodynamics and short-term prognosis in patients with inoperable chronic thrombo-embolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), the long-term effects of BPA, and procedure-related complications remain to be fully elucidated. METHODS AND RESULTS: From July 2009 to October 2016, we performed a total of 424 BPA sessions in 84 consecutive patients with inoperable CTEPH. We used 3D reconstructed computed tomography to determine target lesions of pulmonary arteries and optical computed tomography to select balloon size, if needed. In 77 patients (92%) who completed the BPA treatment [65 ± 14 (SD) years-old, male/female 14/63], haemodynamics and exercise capacity were examined at 6 months after last BPA and in the chronic phase [>12 months after first BPA, 31 (20, 41) months]. The BPA treatment significantly improved mean pulmonary arterial pressure (38 ± 10 to 25 ± 6 mmHg), pulmonary vascular resistance (7.3 ± 3.2 to 3.8 ± 1.0 Wood units), and 6-minute walk distance (380 ± 138 to 486 ± 112 m) (all P < 0.01), and the improvements persisted throughout the follow-up period (43 ± 27 months) (N = 53). In the 424 sessions, haemoptysis was noted in 60 sessions (14%), and non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) was used to treat haemoptysis and/or hypoxemia in 33 sessions (8%). Furthermore, 5-year survival was 98.4% (only one patient died of colon cancer) with no peri-procedural death. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that BPA improves haemodynamics and exercise capacity in inoperable CTEPH patients with acceptable complication rate and that the beneficial haemodynamic effects of BPA persist for years with resultant good long-term prognosis.

Balloon angioplasty with selective stenting strategy in treatment of hemodialysis related central vein occlusive lesions.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of balloon angioplasty and selective stenting in treatment of symptomatic central vein occlusive lesions (CVOL) in patients with upper extremity hemodialysis access. METHODS: Seventy-four hemodialysis patients with symptomatic CVOL underwent endovascular therapy between March 2014 and November 2015. Both the primary and secondary patency rates were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier plot method. RESULTS: Forty males and thirty-four females manifesting with arm venous hypertension symptoms were enrolled. The mean age of patients was 49.7 years. Venography showed 29 complete occlusions (39.1%), and 45 stenotic lesions (60.9%). Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) alone was performed in 46 cases and bare metal stenting was performed in 17 cases. The primary patency rates were (87±4.9)%, (67.4±6.9)%, and (51.7±7.4)% in the PTA group, and (94.1±5.7)%, (82.4±9.2)%, and (70.6±11.1)% in the stenting group at 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year, respectively. The secondary patency rate was (67.2±6.9)% in the PTA group, and (82.4±9.3)% in the stenting group at 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: Balloon angioplasty with selective stenting is safe and effective treatment modality for CVOL in short term. Enhanced follow-up, and repeated interventions are required to maintain patency.

Nonprocedural Symptomatic Infarction and In-Stent Restenosis After Intracranial Angioplasty and Stenting in the SAMMPRIS Trial (Stenting and Aggressive Medical Management for the Prevention of Recurrent Stroke in Intracranial Stenosis).

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency of symptomatic in-stent restenosis (ISR) and its contribution to nonprocedural symptomatic infarction in the SAMMPRIS trial (Stenting and Aggressive Medical Management for the Prevention of Recurrent Stroke in Intracranial Stenosis). METHODS: Patients without a periprocedural primary end point were followed up to determine the occurrence of any of the following events: ischemic stroke, cerebral infarct with temporary signs, or transient ischemic attack in the territory of the stented artery. Vascular imaging performed after these events was reviewed for ISR. Annual rates for symptomatic ISR were calculated using Kaplan-Meier estimates. RESULTS: Of 183 patients in the stenting group without a periprocedural primary end point, 27 (14.8%) had a symptomatic infarction (stroke or cerebral infarct with temporary signs) and 16 (8.7%) had transient ischemic attack alone in the territory during a median follow-up of 35.0 months. Of the 27 patients with infarctions, 17 (9.3%) had an ischemic stroke and 10 (5.5%) had a cerebral infarct with temporary signs alone. Adequate vascular imaging to evaluate ISR was available in 24 patients with infarctions (showing ISR in 16 [66.7%]) and in 10 patients with transient ischemic attack alone (showing ISR in 8 [80%]). The 1-, 2-, and 3-year rates (with 95% confidence limits) for symptomatic ISR in the SAMMPRIS stent cohort were 9.6% (6.1%-14.9%), 11.3% (7.5%-17.0%), and 14.0% (9.6%-20.2%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Symptomatic ISR occurred in at least 1 of 7 patients in SAMMPRIS by 3 years of follow-up and was likely responsible for the majority of nonprocedural cerebral infarctions. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00576693.

Prognostic and pathophysiological marker for patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: Usefulness of diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide at diagnosis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a progressive disease in some patients, despite improved treatments. Microvasculopathy has been implicated in the poor outcomes of patients with CTEPH. A reduction in the diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO ) was previously suggested to indicate microvasculopathy in CTEPH patients; therefore, we assessed DLCO /alveolar ventilation (DLCO /VA ) as a prognostic and pathophysiological marker in CTEPH. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of 214 CTEPH patients consecutively diagnosed between 1986 and 2011. After exclusion of 24 patients because of missing DLCO data or severe obstructive impairment, the mortality rates of medically treated patients classified with normal or decreased DLCO values were compared, and prognostic factors were determined. The relationship between long-term surgical outcomes and DLCO /VA was also investigated. RESULTS: Ninety-one inoperable patients were treated medically, two of whom underwent balloon pulmonary angioplasty. Ninety-nine underwent pulmonary endarterectomy. The 5-year survival rate of medically treated patients was significantly lower in patients with decreased DLCO /VA than in those with normal values (61.4% vs 90.4%, P = 0.017). Decreased preoperative DLCO /VA was associated with a smaller percent decrease in post-operative pulmonary vascular resistance, but not with the extent of proximal thrombi; these results may support our hypothesis that DLCO reflects microvascular involvement. CONCLUSION: Decreased DLCO /VA was associated with poor outcomes of medically treated CTEPH patients; and may be useful for identifying high-risk patients, potentially leading to earlier and more appropriate interventions.

Frequency and Effect of Access-Related Vascular Injury and Subsequent Vascular Intervention After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

Vascular access and closure remain a challenge in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). This single-center study aimed to report the incidence, predictive factors, and clinical outcomes of access-related vascular injury and subsequent vascular intervention. During a 30-month period, 365 patients underwent TAVR and 333 patients (94%) were treated by true percutaneous transfemoral approach. Of this latter group, 83 patients (25%) had an access-related vascular injury that was managed by the use of a covered self-expanding stent (n = 49), balloon angioplasty (n = 33), or by surgical intervention (n = 1). In 16 patients (5%), the vascular injury was classified as a major vascular complication. Absence of a preprocedural computed tomography angiography (CTA) of the iliofemoral arteries (OR 2.04, p = 0.007) and female gender (OR 2.18, p = 0.004) were independent predictors of the need for access-related vascular intervention. In addition, a high sheath/common femoral artery ratio as measured on preoperative CTA was associated with a higher rate of post-TAVR vascular intervention. The radiation dose, iodine contrast volume, transfusion need, length of hospitalization, and 30-day mortality were not significantly different between patients with versus without access-related vascular intervention. In conclusion, access-related vascular intervention in patients who underwent transfemoral-TAVR is not uncommon. Female gender and a high sheath/common femoral artery ratio are risk factors for access-related vascular injury, whereas preprocedural planning with CTA of the access vessels may reduce the risk of vascular injury. Importantly, most access-related vascular injuries may be treated by percutaneous techniques with similar clinical outcomes to patients without vascular injuries.

[Long-term results after balloon angioplasty of crural arteries. Which factors influence leg salvage and survival rates?]. / Langzeitergebnis nach Ballonangioplastie kruraler Arterien. Welche Faktoren beeinflussen die Beinerhaltungs- und Überlebensraten?

AIM: Clinical and statistical study analysing factors with influence on success rates, procedure-related complications, and long-term results for patients who underwent angioplasty of the crural arteries. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospectively we evaluated all patients who underwent angioplasty of the crural arteries due to critical chronic limb ischemia or severe claudication in the time period from 1/2002 to 12/2005. These patients were contacted in the time period from 1/2009 to 12/2010, and a follow-up examination including angiography was performed or telephone interviews were conducted with patients, relatives and referring physicians for follow-up. 212 patients with a mean age of 77.8 years (99 women and 113 men) underwent crural angioplasty on 239 limbs. The primary end points were the limb salvage rate and patient survival rate. The secondary end points included the complication rate, technical success rate, and patency rate. The prognostic relevance of treatment and selected variables with respect to limb salvage and patient survival were analysed with multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: The technical success rate was 98.4%. Between 1/2009 and 12/2010, 49.5% of the patients died. An angiographic follow-up study was performed in 49.9% of the treated legs. The primary patency-rate (72% after 6 months and 62.8% after 12 months) was significant, influenced only by the riskfactor dialysis (p = 0.0207). After a mean follow-up of 3.7 years, 48 patients (22.6%) experienced minor- or major-amputation on 53 legs (22.2%). The limb salvage rate (Kaplan-Maier estimation) was 85.4% after 5 years. The mean survival rate according to Kaplan-Meier was 79.7, 72.2, 67.3 and 51.4% after 1, 2, 3 and 5 years, respectively. Results of multiple logistic regression analysis showed that negative prognostic variables with respect to patient survival were amputation (p = 0.0017) and dialysis (p = 0.0011) and with respect to limb salvage dialysis (p < 0.0001) and non-patent peroneal artery (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Balloon angioplasty of the crural arteries shows a high technical success rate with an acceptable complication rate. Dialysis and non-patent peroneal artery are negative prognostic variables for the clinical long-term success.

[Drug-coated balloons in the treatment of peripheral artery disease (PAD). History and current level of evidence]. / Medikamentenbeschichtete Ballonkatheter in der PAVK­Behandlung. Entwicklung der Methode und aktuelle Studienlage.

BACKGROUND: Despite initially encouraging technical success after femoropopliteal PTA, restenosis remains the major challenge in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). The main cause of restenosis is neointimal hyperplasia which can be suppressed by antiproliferative drugs. Drug-coated balloons (DCB) or drug-eluting stents (DES) are used for the inhibition of restenosis. OBJECTIVES: The present article gives an overview of DCB development, actual DCB systems for femoro- and infrapopliteal use, displays the outcomes of randomized clinical trials and the discusses the evidence for the DCB treatment in PAD. METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed in i) medical journals (i. e. MEDLINE), ii) in international registers for clinical studies (i. e. www.clinicaltrials.gov ) and in iii) scientific session abstracts. RESULTS: The clinical evidence of the PTX-DCB of the first and following generation has been shown in several controlled randomized trials. CONCLUSIONS: Major advantages of the DCBs lie in leaving no stent scaffold behind, the immediate release of high drug concentrations with a single dosage, their efficacy in areas, where stents have been contra-indicated until now and its use for secondary interventions. As their effect seems to be limited in severely calcified lesions, prior plaque preconditioning or removal could be advantageous. First positive results data supporting this hypothesis do exist.