December 2005

|
Volume 17 Issue 12
Dec-05
Dear Readers, This issue of the Journal of Invasive Cardiology includes several interesting research articles, some of which are followed by commentary from members of our advisory board. We have also included selections from the Journal’s special s…
(A) Initial angiogram showed an in-stent restenosis CTO in the middle RCA of 1-year duration and 40 mm in length. (B) The Frontrunner® (LuMend, Inc.) blunt microdissection catheter was successful in recannulating the occluded segment within the stents. (C
Treatment of In-Stent Chronic Total Occlusions with Blunt Microdissection
Chronic total occlusions (CTO) represent some of the most challenging scenarios for percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Predictors of procedural success in PCIs of CTOs include length of occlusion, duration of occlusion, presence of tapered en…
Coronary angiogram of the left coronary artery in the right anterior oblique – cranial view (left upper), in the left anterior oblique – caudal view (right upper). The arrows indicate total occlusion of the proximal left anterior descending branch and 75%
Four Days of Percutaneous Cardiopulmonary Support and Sixteen Days of Percutaneous Left
Atrium-Artery Bypass: A Case Report of
Cardiogenic shock occurs in 7–10% of patients after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and it has been one of the major causes of death following AMI.1,2 Intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP) has been routinely used for AMI with cardiogenic shock, and…
Tight stenosis of the body vein graft of the circumflex artery.
Successful Management of the No-Reflow Syndome after Venous Graft Stenting
Case Report. A 74-year-old male diagnosed with NSTE acute coronary syndrome (non-Q wave myocardial infarction) in another hospital was transferred to our clinic due to residual angina. In 1996 the patient had a myocardial infarction (MI) and received…
(A) RAO 30°, caudal 30° angiogram showing a 90% ostial and 70% mid left circumflex stenoses (arrows).
Snare Retrieval of the Distal Tip of a Fractured Rotational Atherectomy Guidewire: Roping the Steer by Its Horns
Fractured coronary guidewire is a relatively uncommon complication of percutaneous coronary intervention. Numerous methods have been described for retrieval of these retained fragments from the coronary circulation. These methods have included snarin…
Systolic compression of the mid-segment of left anterior descending coronary artery (B = bridged segment).
Myocardial Infarction Induced by Myocardial Bridging: Report
of Successful Percutaneous Therapy and Review of the Literature
Case Report. A 56-year-old male patient presented one hour after the onset of severe, substernal chest pain at rest. Physical examination revealed moderate distress secondary to chest pain. His blood pressure was 135/80 mmHg, his heart rate was 76 be…
(A) Angiography and left ventriculography demonstrating the myocardial bridge in the left anterior descending artery at end diastole, (B) end systole, and (C) the regional wall motion abnormality on the left ventriculogram at end systole.
Resolution of Myocardial Bridge-Related Wall Motion Abnormality and Associated Myocardial Perfusion Defect with Beta-Blocker The
Case Report. A 67-year-old female was referred to our center due to chest pain. She had no prior history of ischemic heart disease; however, in the last 6 months, she began experiencing exertional chest discomfort. Cardiac risk factors included untre…
Coronary Artery Stenting in Patients with Severe Left Ventricular Dysfunction
Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) may be an effective treatment in selected patients with left ventricular dysfunction, but acute and long-term mortality rates are higher than in patients with normal left ventricular function.1–5…
Kaplan-Meier Event-free Survival Curve of the DES group and the repeat IRT group.
Drug-Eluting Stents versus Repeat Vascular Brachytherapy for Patients with Recurrent In-Stent Restenosis after Failed Intracoron
Intracoronary radiation therapy (IRT) for in-stent restenosis (ISR) in native coronary arteries and saphenous vein grafts (SVG) has substantially reduced the rate of recurrent restenosis compared with conventional percutaneous coronary intervention (…
Cutaway view of a coronary artery showing a stent implanted to treat a previously flow-limiting stenosis. Reproduced from Herrmann135 with permission from the Massachusetts Medical Society.
Enhanced Long-Term Antiplatelet Therapy after Coronary Stenting

Since the introduction of coronary stenting to interventional cardiology in 1989, improvements in stent implantation techniques and antiplatelet drug therapy have dramatically improved the short-term and long-term outcomes of percutaneous interventio…