The dilemma of diagnosing coronary calcification: angiography versus intravascular ultrasound.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine whether careful examination of angiograms in conjunction with other clinical information could reliably detect, quantitate and localize target lesion calcification before a coronary intervention. BACKGROUND: The presence, extent and location of calcium in coronary artery lesions are important determinants of outcome after coronary intervention. Intravascular ultrasound is proposed as a superior technique for identifying patients with coronary artery calcification. However, the precise role of this costly and invasive method has not yet been established. METHODS: Target lesion calcification was assessed in 183 patients (155 men; mean [+/-SD] age 58 +/- 10 years) by angiography and intravascular ultrasound before a planned percutaneous coronary intervention. RESULTS: Ultrasound detected calcium in 138 patients (>90 degrees in 56, 91 degrees to 180 degrees in 52, 181 degrees to 270 degrees in 22 and > 270 degrees in 8), whereas angiography showed calcification in 63 (1+ in 32, 2+ in 27 and 3+ in 4). The two techniques agreed in 92 patients and disagreed in 91. Sensitivity and specificity of angiography were 40% and 82%, respectively. The arc of calcium by ultrasound was greater in patients with angiographically visible calcification (175 degrees +/- 85 degrees vs. 108 degrees +/- 71 degrees, p=0.0001). The depth of calcification by ultrasound was superficial in 61 patients (44%), deep in 68 (49%) and mixed in 8 (7%). The sensitivity of angiography in identifying superficial calcium was 35%. Of 120 patients without angiographically visible calcium at the target lesion site, 83 showed calcium by ultrasound. The only predictor of ultrasound calcium in these 120 patients was angiographic calcification elsewhere in the coronary tree (p=0.0001). The probability of any calcium and superficial >90 degrees calcium were 60% and 12%, respectively, in the 90 patients without angiographic calcifications anywhere in the coronary tree. CONCLUSIONS: Despite poor sensitivity, angiography may help identify patients requiring intravascular ultrasound. When it is angiographically visible, the arc of calcium is likely to be large and superficial. Angiographic calcification at a remote site is a predictor of angiographically undetected target lesion calcium. Patients without angiographic calcification in the coronary tree may not need routine ultrasound examination, as the likelihood of >90 degrees superficial calcium is low.

Coronary artery aneurysm formation after balloon angioplasty and stent implantation.

This study describes coronary angiographic and intravascular ultrasound evaluation of late coronary artery aneurysms after percutaneous balloon angioplasty and bailout stent implantation. Intravascular ultrasound distinguishes true aneurysms from pseudoaneurysms. The discussion is focused on the etiology and prognosis of this rare complication.

Obesity and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction.

To assess the influence of obesity on left ventricular function, 20 obese women (mean body mass index (BMI) 33.8 +/- 3.1 kg/m2 and mean age 31.1 +/- 2.4 years) without evidence of heart disease were evaluated by echocardiography. Obese subjects had greater left ventricular mass index (103 +/- 22 g/m2, 76 +/- 18 g/m2; P < 0.0001) and augmented fractional shortening (39 +/- 2.6%, 36 +/- 0.1%; P < 0.0001) than normals. Isovolumic relaxation time was prolonged in the obese group (92 +/- 11 ms) as compared with the control group (76 +/- 11 ms; P < 0.0001). The ratio of peak early and atrial filling velocities was significantly lower (1.2 +/- 0.4, 1.9 +/- 0.6; P < 0.0001) and atrial contribution was higher (39 +/- 9, 25 +/- 5; P < 0.0001) in obese subjects than in normals. Shortened deceleration time was measured in obese subjects (142 +/- 30, 179 +/- 20 ms; P < 0.0001). In conclusion, obesity causes relaxation and early filling abnormalities and diastolic filling is compensated by augmented atrial contribution. Diastolic dysfunction is an early indicator of cardiac involvement in obesity.

Exercise-induced myocardial ischemia in patients with coronary artery ectasia without obstructive coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND: Aetiology, clinical significance and treatment options for coronary artery ectasia/aneurysm is not clear. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine whether exercise can induce coronary ischemia in patients with coronary artery ectasia/aneurysm without significant coronary stenosis. METHODS: Coronary artery ectasia was defined as 1.5-2-fold, aneurysm as >2-fold luminal dilatation of the adjacent normal segment. The study patients could have irregularities with ectatic coronaries but they did not have stenotic lesions >50% with visual assessment of two blinded observers. Patients having coronary artery ectasia or aneurysm with prior myocardial infarction, dilated cardiomyopathy, valvular heart disease, bundle branch block, significant ST-T changes were excluded. The control group was formed from a well matched population of 32 patients with normal coronary arteries who have not performed a treadmill test before coronary angiography. The study group underwent a symptom limited treadmill test if they did not have one before coronary angiogram, all control patients underwent treadmill test. RESULTS: Thirty-three patients with coronary artery ectasia/aneurysm (ranging from one to three vessels) but without significant stenosis were derived from 4470 cardiac catheterization procedures between January 1998 and July 2000. In the study group, 17 of the patients had positive treadmill tests with respect to five patients in the control group (P = 0.004). In subgroup analysis, diffuse ectasia/aneurysm (involving 2-3 vessels) was found to be strongly related with ischemia (P = 0.005) with respect to local disease. CONCLUSION: Coronary artery ectasia/aneurysm may lead to exercise induced ischemia, especially in the diffuse form.

Analysis of high frequency QRS potentials observed during acute myocardial infarction.

The value of high frequency QRS potentials (HFQRS) during acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was assessed to define infarct size and prognosis. HFQRS were recorded by signal-averaged ECG with 150-250 Hz frequency ranges, using X, Y, Z orthogonal leads. Recordings were obtained in surviving AMI patients (n = 33, 12 inferior, 11 anterior, 10 anterior-inferior) on the first and tenth days, but in non-survived patients (n = 5, 2 inferior, 1 anterior, 2 anterior-inferior) only on the first day. Additionally, the frequency of ventricular tachycardia (VT) was evaluated by 24-h Holter monitoring in all patients at the same days. The control group consisted of 11 healthy people. In surviving AMI patients, RMS voltage of vector magnitude reduced in anterior and anterior-inferior MI but filtered QRS duration was longer in inferior MI than normals (P < 0.05, < 0.05, < 0.01, respectively). In nonsurvived patients, RMS voltages of leads X, Y, Z and vector magnitude were lower than normals (P < 0.01, < 0.05, < 0.01, < 0.01, respectively) and surviving AMI patients (P < 0.01, < 0.05, < 0.05, < 0.05, respectively), the filtered QRS duration was found to be longer than normals and survived patients (P < 0.01, < 0.01). In patients who had VT on Holter monitoring, filtered QRS duration was significantly longer than in patients without VT (P < 0.05). As a result, HFQRS was important for defining infarct size but not malignant ventricular arrhythmias. VT was related to filtered QRS duration. HFQRS may offer significant prognostic information and contribute to early risk stratification of AMI patients.

Cardioinhibitory response to carotid sinus massage in patients with coronary artery disease.

The relationship between cardioinhibitory response to the carotid sinus massage and the severity of coronary artery lesions and left ventricular impairment was investigated in 86 patients who underwent coronary angiography. The study group (Group 1) comprised 63 patients who had coronary lesions and the control group (Group 2) comprised 23 patients who had normal coronary arteries. There was no significant relationship between the severity of coronary artery lesions and the cardioinhibitory response to the carotid sinus massage in the study group. However, there was a positive correlation (r = 0.478, P < 0.01) between total left ventricular segment scores and the maximal change in RR interval (%) during the right carotid sinus massage in the study group. During the right carotid sinus massage, maximal change of RR interval (%) was significantly higher in patients who had segmental wall motion abnormalities than in patients who did not (83.0 +/- 72.4% vs. 32.9 +/- 42.5%, P < 0.01, respectively). In the patients who could have echocardiographic measurements there was negative correlation between fractional shortening value and maximal change of RR interval (%) (right massage; r = -0.482, P < 0.01, left massage; r = -0.334, P < 0.05). In conclusion, we found a significant relationship between the cardioinhibitory response to carotid sinus massage and the presence and severity of the segmental wall motion abnormalities and left ventricular impairment in patients with coronary artery disease.

Association between the severity of heart failure and the susceptibility of myocytes to apoptosis in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: Bcl-2 proto-oncogene, an inhibitor of apoptosis and Bax proto-oncogene, an inducer of apoptosis play critical roles in the molecular circuit controlling apoptosis in cardiac muscle. The ratio of Bax to Bcl-2 proto-oncogene determines survival or death after an apoptotic stimulus. We speculated that susceptibility of myocytes to apoptosis determined as the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio might vary with the severity of heart failure. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied immunohistochemically 108 endomyocardial biopsy specimens from 30 patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (mild heart failure, n=14; moderate or severe heart failure, n=16) with the use of Bcl-2 and Bax monoclonal antibodies. The expression of each protein was determined semiquantitatively as the fraction of myocytes labeled with specific monoclonal antibodies using a digital morphometric analysis system. Patients with mild heart failure showed significantly increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio than the patients with advanced heart failure (1.59+/-1.26 vs. 0.34+/-0.43, P=0.002). The expression of Bcl-2 was found to be independent of the severity of heart failure whereas the expression of Bax was significantly higher in patients with mild heart failure compared to the patients with moderate or severe heart failure (52.1+/-29.3 vs. 21.6+/-22.4%, P=0.005). Additionally, Bax/Bac-2 ratio was inversely correlated with the mitral E-interventricular septum distance, left ventricular end-systolic and end-diastolic diameter. CONCLUSION: The susceptibility of myocytes to apoptosis is significantly increased in the early phase of heart failure but it decreases with worsening of the disease due to depressed expression of Bax onco-protein. Increased myocyte susceptibility to apoptosis may have a role in the transition from mild heart failure to severe in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.

Significance of dual left anterior descending coronary artery in interventional cardiology. A case report.

The variants of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery are important in interpretation of coronary angiograms and in interventional procedures. The authors present a patient who had percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and stent implantation to a presumed proximal LAD without the realization that dual LAd was present because of the total occlusion of the long LAD.

False-positive results obtained with stress myocardial SPECT in patients with right bundle branch block.

PURPOSE: Right bundle branch block (RBBB) is a conduction defect that often is accompanied by nonspecific patient symptoms. The objective of this study was to evaluate the false-positive results obtained with TI-201 myocardial SPECT in patients with RBBB. METHODS: Thirty-one patients (24 men, 7 women; age range, 35 to 78 years; mean age, 39 +/- 14 years) had nonspecific chest pain and electrocardiograph-proved RBBB, normal results of echography, and normal results of coronary angiography. None of them had a previous history or evidence of myocardial infarction. All patients underwent stress-rest TI-201 myocardial SPECT; 24 had normal images but 7 showed hypoperfusion in the inferolateral segments, both visually and quantitatively. RESULTS: TI-201 myocardial perfusion scintigraphs must be evaluated carefully in RBBB because false-positive results are likely to occur as a result of functional changes produced by dissynchronous activation between the ventricles.

Angiographic and clinical follow-up after coronary implantation of the ACS Multilink Duet stent: a single center experience.

As a growing variety of coronary stents become available on the market and the results of randomised trials may be difficult to apply to less selected patients, detailed information about the immediate and long term results achieved with one device can be helpful for the interventional cardiologist. The purpose of the present study was to test the applicability, angiographic and clinical results of the ACS Multilink Duet coronary stent in a relatively unselected group of patients undergoing coronary angioplasty immediately and in the long term. From November 1998 to May 2000, 337 ACS Multilink Duet coronary stents were implanted in 285 patients in our clinic. Data were collected retrospectively from the catheterization laboratory records and patient charts. Restenotic lesions and chronic total occlusion stenting were excluded from analysis (45 patients and 60 stents were excluded leaving 240 patients, 262 lesions and 277 stents for analysis). In 3 cases (1%) the ACS Multilink Duet stent did not cross the lesion and another device was used. One patient (0.4%) died due to acute occlusion of the proximal left anterior descending artery and cardiogenic shock within 4 hours after the procedure. Three patients (1.25%) had subacute thrombosis and q wave myocardial infarction during the hospital course, while four additional patients, out of 197, in whom one month clinical data were available had myocardial infarction (2 q waves and 2 non-q waves) after hospital discharge in the first month (2.03%). After 6 months from the procedure angiographic follow-up data were available for 108 patients (45%), 111 lesions (42.4%) and 117 stents (40.4%). They had complex lesions, B2-C type accounting for 42.3% of the cohort, and lesions requiring 2.5 mm diameter stents were also included and constituted 11.1% of the study cohort. Restenosis occurred in 24 patients (21.4%) and in 25 stents (22.2%). Comparing the patients with and without restenosis, diabetes mellitus and complex lesion morphology (B2-C) were found to be more frequent in the restenosis group (p<0.01, p<0.01). Lesions suitable to stent with a stent diameter of 3.5 mm or more had less restenosis with respect to smaller diameters (p=0.022). For a single stent diameter restenosis rates, regarding the stent length were 14.2% for 8 mm and 13 mm, 18.6% for 18 mm, and 37.5% for 23 mm and 28 mm (p=not significant). The Multilink Duet stent, in a cohort of relatively unselected patients, has a high rate of applicability, an acceptable rate of subacute occlusion, and a low rate of restenosis.

Importance of notching and slurring of the resting QRS complex in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease.

Data on the correlation of coronary artery disease (CAD) and electrocardiographic findings are, except for Q waves, still controversial. The purpose of this study was to determine whether QRS complex notching and slurring (N&S) is of significant value as a diagnostic discriminator in the detection of CAD. This study comprised 500 consecutive patients aged between 24 and 81 years (mean, 53.4 years) who underwent coronary angiography because of chest pain. Patients were evaluated for CAD, angiographic evidence of myocardial infarction (MI), N&S, and abnormal Q waves. Of these 500 patients, 418 had CAD, and 370 of these had significant (> or = 70%) coronary artery obstruction. The remaining 82 patients had normal coronary arteries. The data revealed that the distribution of N&S in the patients with or without CAD was similar in both the inferior and limb leads (P > .05). But the percentage of N&S in more than two contiguous limb leads was higher in the patients with CAD than in the patients without CAD. Notching and slurring in at least one limb lead was found to be of no value in the diagnosis of MI, of wall motion abnormalities, and of significant obstruction. Notching and slurring in the anterior leads is more sensitive but less specific than abnormal Q waves in the same leads in the detection of significant obstruction, anterior MI, and anterior wall motion abnormalities. Notching and slurring in the anterior leads has as much importance as abnormal anterior Q waves in the detection of angiographic evidence of anterior infarct, of anterior wall motion abnormalities, and of significant coronary artery obstruction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effects of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty on late potentials and high frequency mid-QRS potentials.

The high frequency mid-QRS potentials and late potentials are important in coronary artery disease because they are related to the extent of ischemia and prognosis. In this study, the effects of successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) on these potentials were evaluated. Twenty-four patients with coronary artery disease (aged 34-67 years, 5 women, 19 men) were examined. Eight of these patients had a history of myocardial infarction (4 anterior, 3 inferior, 1 anterior and inferior). Signal averaged ECG was recorded at 40- to 250-Hz frequency ranges for late potentials and 150- to 250-Hz frequency ranges for mid-QRS potentials before PTCA, and they were repeated 1 month later. The QRS duration (107.7 +/- 9.8 to 105.3 +/- 9.3 ms, p < 0.0001) root-mean-square voltage (39.4 +/- 20.1 to 47.7 +/- 22.2 microV, p < 0.00001) and low amplitude signal duration (30.7 +/- 9.9 to 27.7 +/- 9.3 ms, p < 0.001) showed significant changes in 40- to 250-Hz ranges before and after PTCA. The same results were also obtained in the 150- to 250-Hz frequency ranges: the QRS duration decreased (90.9 +/- 9.8 to 86.5 +/- 9.1 ms, p < 0.005) and the root-mean-square voltage increased (5.5 +/- 1.6 to 6.1 +/- 1.8 microV, p < 0.00001). Thus, successful PTCA causes improvement in late potential parameters, so the risk of malign arrhythmia that affects the prognosis can be reduced. Additionally, the increase in high frequency mid-QRS potentials shows the decrease in the ischemia after PTCA.