What features are desirable for a diagnostic angiographic catheter in the cardiac catheterization laboratory? In general, we require both safety and efficacy. More specifically, tip deformability or “softness”, and tip radiopacity are features that make for a safer catheter. Intrinsic to safety but usually not a feature of catheter design is the ability to monitor pressure at the catheter tip to be certain that the tip is not “wedged” under a plaque or in a hemodynamically significant ostial LMCA or RCA obstruction. One of the cardinal teachings in the cardiac catheterization laborator

The scope of percutaneous vascular intervention has expanded over the past two decades. Angioplasty is now the procedure of choice for peripheral vascular diseases, including those of the renal arteries. Endoluminal stent graft and covered stents are currently undergoing investigation for the treatment of both aneurysmal and occlusive peripheral vascular disease.1–4 Non-dissecting aneurysms of the renal artery can be either fusiform or saccular. The saccular type is usually associated with more hemodynamic disturbances, which may subsequently end with partial thrombus in the aneurysm.5 Saccu

Direct coronary stenting is a new technique that consists of direct stent implantation without balloon predilatation of the target lesion. This strategy is now technically possible because of the improvements in crossing profile, flexibility, safety and crimping of the current generation stents. Several recent studies have shown that direct stenting is feasible, costs less and is quicker to perform compared to the conventional approach of balloon predilatation followed by stenting.1–8 However, there are some potential concerns associated with the new technique, including the possibility for