Mechanical manipulation of thrombus: coronary thrombectomy, intracoronary clot displacement, and transcatheter aspiration.

Recanalization of occluded arteries during acute myocardial infarction has been proven to prolong life and improve left ventricular function. Patients who could not receive thrombolytic therapy for failed thrombolysis and/or angioplasty were treated by mechanical manipulation of the thrombus. Three techniques were used: transcatheter aspiration, clot displacement, and thrombectomy. Five patients in shock had the thrombus aspirated from the left main and right coronary arteries. Eight patients had the clot pushed by the balloon from the mid-left anterior descending (LAD) to the apical LAD in order to reduce the area of ischemic myocardium, and 13 patients underwent a thrombectomy of the right coronary artery. These procedures enjoyed a high rate of success in reestablishing patency and a favorable long-term clinical and angiographic follow-up. Although the applicability and role of these interventions in acute myocardial infarction are not yet defined, we conclude that they are feasible and have an acceptable success and complication rate.

In-stent restenosis. Acute and long-term outcomes after excimer laser coronary angioplasty.

OBJECTIVE: With the increased use of intracoronary stents, in-stent restenosis has become a clinically significant drawback in invasive cardiology. We retrospectively assessed the short- and long-term outcomes after excimer laser coronary angioplasty of in-stent restenosis. METHODS: Twenty-five patients with 33 incidents of in-stent restenosis treated with excimer laser coronary angioplasty (ELCA) were analyzed. Sixty-six percent were males, mean age of 73 +/- 11 years, and 83% were functional class III-IV (NYHA). ELCA was performed using 23 concentric and 10 eccentric catheters with a diameter of 1.6-2.2 mm, followed by balloon angioplasty (PTCA) and ultrasound monitoring. The procedure was performed in the following vessels: left anterior descending artery, 10; left circumflex artery, 8; right coronary artery, 6; left main coronary artery, 2; and venous bypass graft, 7. RESULTS: The ELCA was successful in 71% of the cases, and PTCA was 100% successful. The diameter of the treated vessels was 3.44 +/- 0.5 mm; the minimal luminal diameter (MLD) increased from 0.30 mm pre-ECLA to 1.97 mm post-ELCA, and to 2.94 mm post-PTCA (p < 0.001). The percent stenosis was reduced from 91.4 +/- 9.5% before ECLA to 42.3 +/- 14.9% after ELCA and to 14.6 +/- 9.3% after PTCA (p < 0.001). Seventeen (68%) patients were asymptomatic at 6 months and 15 (60%) at 1 year. New restenosis rates were 8/33 (24.2%) at 6 months and 9/33 (27.3%) at 12 months. CONCLUSION: ELCA is safe and effective for the treatment of in-stent restenosis. In the present sample, a slight increase in new restenotic lesions between 6 and 12 months was found.