PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

D Baumgart

Publications and source records attributed to D Baumgart.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

High-volume nonionic dimeric contrast medium: first experiences during complex coronary interventions.

Interventional cardiology is a rapidly developing field of medicine with annually increasing numbers of coronary interventions. Especially through the development of alternative techniques for coronary angioplasty, new indications have been found and more difficult lesions are tackled. Inevitably, such complex interventions are time-consuming and require high amounts of contrast medium. Newer, mostly nonionic agents have been developed with improved tolerability as well as fewer cardiac and renal side effects due to their nonionic, hydrophilic structure, and their osmolality isotonic to plasma. This study sought to investigate the effects of high-volume nonionic, dimeric contrast medium during coronary interventions with special emphasis on renal and hemodynamic side effects during routine hospital stays. Retrospectively, 25 consecutive patients (age 56 +/- 10 yr) with normal renal and cardiac function receiving > 500 ml of the nonionic dimeric contrast medium iodixanol during complex coronary interventions were analyzed. The analysis was based on serum creatinine levels 1 day before and 2 days after contrast medium administration for the monitoring of renal function. Additionally, heart rate and left ventricular pressures were evaluated before and after left ventricular angiography. Mean serum creatinine rose from 0.9 +/- 0.2 mg/dl to 1.1 +/- 0.2 mg/dl (P < 0.05) after 2 days of coronary intervention. Heart rate, left ventricular systolic pressure, and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure did not change significantly. No major side effects were encountered in the short follow-up period of 2 days. Based on this retrospective analysis, high-volume nonionic, dimeric contrast medium administration in patients without preexisting renal insufficiency is associated with little impairment of renal function, and has only minor hemodynamic and general side effects. Iodixanol 320 mg I/ml is well-tolerated and effective for the use of cardioangiography. Given the limitations of this retrospective analysis, future prospective studies should systematically address the effects of high-volume contrast medium administration in otherwise healthy patients as well as in high-risk patients undergoing coronary interventions.

Aged

Comparison of myocardial perfusion reserve before and after coronary balloon predilatation and after stent implantation in patients with postangioplasty restenosis.

BACKGROUND: Stents provide a scaffold for coronary arteries after angioplasty and inhibit elastic recoil. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 25 patients with postangioplasty restenosis of the left anterior descending artery, ECG-gated digital subtraction coronary angiograms were recorded at baseline and during hyperemia (12 mg papaverine IC) before and after balloon predilatation (PTCA), after implantation of a Palmaz-Schatz stent, and after 6 months. Densitometric evaluation revealed different time and density parameters to calculate two definitions of myocardial perfusion reserve (MPR1 and MPR2) and maximum flow ratio (MaxFR). Poststenotic MPR1 increased from 1.57 +/- 0.14 to 2.59 +/- 0.86 after PTCA and to 3.10 +/- 0.41 after stenting, with 2.90 +/- 0.65 at follow-up (ANOVA, P < .05), while reference MPR1 remained unchanged at 3.10 +/- 0.40. Poststenotic MPR2 increased from 1.36 +/- 0.28 to 2.50 +/- 1.20 and to 3.40 +/- 0.58, respectively, with 3.20 +/- 0.92 at follow-up (ANOVA, P < .05), while reference MPR2 remained unchanged at 3.40 +/- 0.60. MaxFR was 2.13 +/- 0.53 after PTCA, elasticity 2.83 +/- 0.35 after stenting, and 2.73 +/- 0.58 at follow-up (ANOVA, P < .05). A good correlation was found between minimal stenotic luminal diameter and MPR1 or MPR2 (r = .87 and r = .94) and between luminal gain and MaxFR (r = .75). A negative correlation was measured between recoil and MPR1, MPR2, and MaxFR (r = -.80, r = -.86, and r = -.83). At follow-up, a steeper correlation was found between MPR and minimal stenosis diameter (MPR1: slope, 0.52 versus 0.91; MPR2: slope, 1.48 versus 1.95) and between MaxFR and net lumen gain (slope, 0.78 versus 1.27). CONCLUSIONS: Coronary stent implantation in patients with postangioplasty restenosis normalized poststenotic myocardial perfusion immediately as a result of a larger postprocedural lumen and a more pronounced inhibition of elastic recoil. After 6 months this benefit was sustained despite progressive lumen loss.

Absorptiometry, Photon

Equipment configuration and procedures: preferences for interventional microtherapy.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography, and electron beam tomography scanners are built for radiologic diagnosis. With increasing frequency they are being used in the field of interventional Microtherapy to permit transparent visualization of the therapeutic field. Each of these scanners can be combined with endoscopy, fluoroscopy/digital subtraction angiography, and ultrasound units for hybrid imaging techniques as well as with therapeutic systems like lasers or radiofrequency. MRI affords 3D localization without x-ray exposure. Open access and keyhole imaging allow nearly real time guidance of instruments. Minimally invasive techniques using endoscopes and hybrid tomographic guidance result in improved tip tracking of microinstruments and reduced complications. This safer access into the body will lead to interdisciplinary cooperation with the potential for large cost reductions. This report summarizes our experience regarding which of the hybrid imaging suites is best suited for procedures including among others drug instillations, prosthesis (stent) implantation, or microoperations (endoscopic diskectomy/sequestrectomy), and physiological measurements simultaneously.

Diagnostic Imaging

Non-invasive assessment of coronary Palmaz-Schatz stents by contrast enhanced electron beam computed tomography.

UNLABELLED: The aim of the study was the evaluation of electron beam computed tomography as a non-invasive method to localize coronary stents and to document patency in stented vessel segments. METHODS: Twenty-two patients (16m/6f, 58 +/- 7.8 years) with coronary Palmaz-Schatz stents were examined. Contrast enhanced electron beam computed tomography using an Evolution scanner (Siemens) and coronary angiography were carried out within 7 days of each other. Stent localization was performed using the single-slice mode of the electron beam computed tomography scanner. Patency of the coronary target segment was assessed using the multi-slice mode after peripheral venous injection of a 40 ml bolus of contrast medium (Ultravist 370). Qualitative image analysis of a cine loop of 10 consecutive frames and quantitative analysis of densitometric curves in a region of interest distal to the stented vessel segment were performed. RESULTS: All stented vessel segments were identified. In 20 patients (91%), qualitative assessment of contrast enhancement patterns enabled stent patency to be evaluated. In 18 patients (90%), contrast medium was visualized distal to the stent. Quantitative coronary angiography confirmed that the stented vessel segments were not stenosed. Densitometric curves obtained in 16 of these 18 patients yielded contrast enhancement distal to the stented vessel segment of 63 +/- 6% compared to the aorta. In one patient, qualitative and quantitative analysis showed prolonged contrast enhancement of reduced density, which hinted at a stenosis related to the stented vessel segment. Coronary angiography revealed subtotal occlusion of the stented vessel directly distal to the stent. In another patient, no contrast visualization of the vessel distal to the stent was achieved. Coronary angiography revealed complete stent occlusion in this case. CONCLUSION: Electron beam computed tomography can reliably localize coronary stents and may become a useful tool for providing information on stented vessel segment patency.

Adult

Non-invasive visualization of coronary arteries with and without calcification by electron beam computed tomography.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the western industrialized countries. Recent studies demonstrate the feasability of successful primary and secondary prevention. However, the detection of early stages of coronary artery disease is an unresolved issue. Whereas sensitivity and specificity of traditional risk factor assessment and stress tests are limited, the analysis of coronary calcification allows to obtain a direct sign of coronary atherosclerosis. This concept has been applied using fluoroscopy and conventional computed tomography (CT). However, the exact localization and quantification of coronary calcification only became possible with the advent of electron beam CT (EBCT). This new method showed a high prevalence of coronary calcification in the asymptomatic population. With the definition of a standardized "calcium score" the normal age-specific distribution and amount of coronary calcification was investigated. EBCT proved to be more sensitive in the diagnosis of both non-obstructive and obstructive coronary artery disease than risk factor analysis and stress testing, respectively. Obstructive coronary artery disease, however, cannot yet be predicted with high enough accuracy. A close correlation of EBCT coronary calcification was found to a) the total coronary plaque volume defined by histo-pathology, b) intracoronary ultrasound findings, c) the number of coronary risk factors, d) the coronary prognosis. Using EBCT, a reliable non-invasive identification of persons at risk was obtained for the first time. Guidelines for the use of EBCT in the early diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease are being developed.

Adult

[Normalization of myocardial perfusion reserve after coronary stent implantation in comparison with balloon angioplasty alone].

Stents scaffold coronary arteries after angioplastic treatment and inhibit elastic recoil resulting in a larger and more circular focal lumen. In 25 patients with significant stenoses of the left anterior descending coronary artery, presenting no collaterals or myocardial infarction, EKG-gated digital subtraction angiograms were recorded at baseline and during hyperemia induced by intracoronary injection of 12 mg papaverine before and after balloon angioplasty, and after adjunct implantation of a single Palmaz-Schatz stent. Densitometric evaluation revealed the time parameters contrast medium appearance time (MCAT) rise time (RT) and mean transit time (MTT) and maximum intensity (Imax). Myocardial perfusion reserve (MPR1) was calculated as the ratio of baseline MCAT and hyperemic MCAT multiplied by the ratio of hyperemic Imax and baseline Imax while MPR2 was calculated as the ratio of baseline RT and hyperemic RT. Maximum flow ratio (MaxFR) was calculated as the ratio of preprocedural hyperemic MTT and postprocedural hyperemic MTT. Post-stenotic MPR1 increased from 1.36 +/- 0.28 to 2.50 +/- 1.20 and to 3.40 +/- 0.58 (ANOVA p < 0.05), while reference MPR1 remained unchanged with 3.40 +/- 0.60. Post-stenotic MPR2 increased from 1.57 +/- 0.14 to 2.59 +/- 0.86 after balloon angioplasty and to 3.10 +/- 0.41 after stenting (ANOVA p < 0.05), while reference MPR2 remained unchanged with 3.10 +/- 0.40. MaxFR was 2.13 +/- 0.53 after balloon angioplasty and 2.83 +/- 0.35 after stenting (p < 0.05). A good correlation was found between minimal stenosis diameter and MPR1 or MPR2 (MPR1: r = 0.94; MPR2: r = 0.87) and between luminal gain and MaxFR (r = 0.75). A negative correlation was measured between recoil, defined as the difference between inflated balloon diameter and resulting minimal stenosis diameter, and MPR1 and MPR2 and MaxFR (MPR1: r = -0.86; MPR2 r = -0.80; MaxFR r = -0.83). In conclusion, adjunct coronary stent implantation normalized post-stenotic myocardial perfusion immediately in contrast to balloon angioplasty alone resulting from a larger postprocedural lumen and a more pronounced inhibition of elastic recoil.

Adult

[Effect of high insufflation pressures on elastic recoil forces and vascular resistance after balloon dilatation].

In this study, we examined whether percutaneous coronary angioplasty (PTCA) of native coronary arteries with high inflation pressure can improve the immediate postinterventional result in comparison to PTCA with nominal inflation pressure. Using quantitative coronary angiography, we analyzed the coronary angiograms of 24 patients who underwent PTCA with nominal inflation pressure (< 10 atm; group 1) and of 20 patients who underwent PTCA with high inflation pressure (> or = 10 atm; group 2). Only balloon catheters with little compliance were used. The following variables were recorded: 1) minimal luminal diameter (MLD), reference diameter and percent diameter stenosis before and after PTCA, 2) average balloon diameter during PTCA, 3) balloon/artery diameter ratio, 4) acute luminal gain (difference between MLD before and after PTCA), 5) nominal elastic recoil (difference between nominal balloon diameter and MLD after PTCA), 6) actual elastic recoil (difference between average balloon diameter during PTCA and MLD after PTCA). Nominal balloon diameter, reference diameter before and after PTCA and the balloon/artery diameter ratio were similar in both groups. Application of high inflation pressure resulted in a greater average balloon diameter. In group 2 (high inflation pressure), average balloon diameter amounted to 94 +/- 12% of nominal balloon diameter, whereas in group 1 (nominal inflation pressure), it reached only 84 +/- 9% of nominal balloon diameter. Actual elastic recoil was not different between the two groups. Nominal elastic recoil, however, was greater in the cohort which received PTCA with nominal inflation pressure (1.13 +/- 0.35 mm vs. 0.83 +/- 0.28 mm; p < 0.02). After use of high inflation pressure, acute postinterventional luminal gain was significantly increased (1.04 +/- 0.25 mm vs. 0.77 +/- 0.34 mm; p < 0.02) and the postinterventional percent diameter stenosis was significantly lower (12 +/- 10% vs. 24 +/- 13%; p < 0.05). Application of high inflation pressure improves the postinterventional result after PTCA because of a greater acute luminal gain. The stenotic coronary artery is expanded to a greater degree, and actual elastic recoil remains unchanged.

Adult

[High frequency rotational angioplasty].

High-speed rotational coronary atherectomy is an alternative method to treat complex, especially calcified coronary stenoses. A rotating burr tip removes the occlusive plaque tissue. The applied rotating frequency is between 160 000 to 190 000 rpm. The primary technical success-rate for high frequency rotational atherectomy alone yields between 50 to 60% on average. Associated with consecutive additional balloon angioplasty, the success rate is between 80 and 95% when treating complex type B II or C stenoses. Today, the usage of a single burr tip size with adjunctive balloon angioplasty has become a standard procedure. The occurrence of serious complications such as extensive dissections or thrombotic vessel occlusion is a rare phenomenon after high-speed rotational atherectomy compared to coronary balloon angioplasty, whereas coronary spasm is more common after high-speed rotational atherectomy. According to the actual results, high-speed rotational angioplasty did not lower the rate of long-term restenosis, compared to the results achieved by balloon angioplasty alone. The rate of long-term restenosis is reported to be between 40 to 50% after highspeed rotational angioplasty with or without adjunctive balloon angioplasty.

Atherectomy, Coronary

[Electron beam tomography in coronary disease. Prevalence and distribution of coronary calcifications and their relationship with coronary risk factors in 650 patients].

OBJECTIVE: The extent of coronary calcification demonstrated by electron beam tomography was correlated with the individual cardiac risk profile. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The possible presence of coronary calcifications was studied by electron beam tomography (EBT) in 650 patients (526 men, 124 women; mean age 54 +/- 10 [28-81] years) with known or suspected coronary heart disease. Depending on the degree of density and the size of the lesion a score was calculated according to an international standard. RESULTS: No calcification was shown to be present in 202 patients (score of 0). A score of more than 0 was calculated in 73.8% of men and 48.4% of women. The average score was 227.8 +/- 24.8 in men, compared with 65.3 +/- 26.5 in women (P < 0.001). There were significantly more calcifications in older patients: Men aged 71-75 years had the highest score, 859.4, while the lowest, 9.6, was in those aged 36 to 40 years. The most important variables for the presence of calcification were age (relative risk per age group: 1.6), male sex (relative risk: 4.3), hypertension (relative risk: 2.4) and nicotine consumption (relative risk: 1.8). The median point score in patients without known risk factors was 1.3, with one known factor it was 7.2, and with three it was 48.0. The vessel segment most affected with calcification was the anterior interventricular branch with an average score of 84. CONCLUSION: Together with an evaluation of the risk profile EBT provided a better assessment of individual risk than conventional examination.

Adult

Intravascular ultrasound approach to the diagnosis of coronary artery aneurysms.

Coronary artery aneurysms are usually diagnosed by contrast coronary angiography, which portrays the silhouette of the lumen but cannot distinguish true and false aneurysms. To differentiate true and false aneurysms and to study the morphologic changes of the vessel wall, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) was performed in patients with angiographic signs of coronary artery aneurysms. We used a 4.8F or 3.5F, 20 MHz IVUS catheter for ultrasound examination. Fourteen patients (12 men and two women ranging in age from 43 to 73 years) with angiographic signs of coronary aneurysm were enrolled. IVUS imaging was optimally obtained in all patients. The vessel area, lumen area, and plaque area of the aneurysm segment and of the proximal and distal segments were determined. IVUS showed that both the proximal and distal reference segments were severely affected by atherosclerotic lesions in all the patients and by calcium deposits in six patients. The percent stenoses were 63.0% +/- 13.7% and 60.9% +/- 17.8% in the proximal and distal reference segments, respectively. In nine patients the walls of the aneurysms showed signs of atherosclerosis. Three angiographically indicated aneurysms were found to be plaque ruptures. Although the lumen and the vessel areas of the aneurysm segments were larger than those of the proximal and distal segments (p < 0.01 and (p < 0.001), no significant differences in plaque area and plaque composition were found between the aneurysm segment and adjacent vessel segments (p > 0.05). In conclusion, IVUS allows detailed characterization of coronary aneurysms. Atherosclerosis seems to play an important role in the formation of acquired coronary aneurysms.

Adult

Intravascular ultrasound: a guide for management of complications during intervention?

Within a few years, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) has emerged from a research tool into an intrinsic part of modern invasive cardiology, mainly because histology can be obtained 'in-vivo'. For the first time in invasive cardiology it is possible to base decisions not only on lumenograms but also on vessel wall assessment. IVUS can be used as both a diagnostic tool and for intervention purposes. Its diagnostic strength lies in its ability to monitor compensatory coronary artery enlargement as a response to arteriosclerosis, to reveal occult left main stem disease, and angiographically 'silent' arteriosclerosis. As regards intervention, IVUS aids in optimal device selection, i.e. whether to use rotablators in calcified lesions or atherectomy devices in large plaques. The effects of PTCA on vessel wall morphology can be studied in great detail and the effect on luminal gain assessed almost on-line. Several groups have shown that the residual plaque area, even after angiographically successful PTCA, is about 60%. A significant reduction in this percentage may influence long-term outcome after PTCA. Luminal areas that are minimal after PTCA seem to indicate restenosis, while morphological appearance on its own seems to be less predictive. One answer to the shortcomings of standard PTCA are coronary artery stents. Intravascular monitoring of stent expansion led to the deployment of high-pressure stents with a significant increase in post-procedural luminal diameters, and finally the ability to withhold anticoagulation in patients with optimal stent deployment. Furthermore, integrated devices, such as balloons on IVUS catheters, steerable catheters, integrated flow measurements, pressure transducers, and, hopefully, tissue characterization, will further enhance the usefulness of IVUS.

Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary

Angiographically 'silent' plaque in the left main coronary artery detected by intravascular ultrasound.

BACKGROUND: Left main coronary artery (LMCA) atherosclerosis is a high-risk disease but its occurrence is often underestimated by coronary angiography. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) has been shown to be more accurate and sensitive than coronary angiography in identifying coronary atherosclerotic lesions. METHODS: Ninety-two patients (55 men and 37 women, aged 55.4 +/- 10.4 years) found to have angiographically normal coronary arteries or ambiguous lesions of the LMCA were examined by IVUS after diagnostic cardiac catheterization. The cross-sectional areas of the vessel, lumen, and atherosclerotic plaque (if any) of the LMCA were determined and the percentage area and diameter of stenosis were calculated. RESULTS: Atherosclerotic plaques in the LMCA were detected in 31 of the 92 patients (34%); 83% of the plaques were eccentric, and 17% contained calcium deposits. In patients with plaques detected by IVUS, the vessel area was 23.3 +/- 6.1 mm2. The plaque area was 6.3 +/- 3.3 mm2 (1.8-16.7 mm2). The area of stenosis was 31.6 +/- 12.1% (12-57.2%). The diameter of stenosis was 19.3 +/- 7.2% (8.7-34.6%). The area of stenosis was over 50% in four patients. The vessel area (23.3 +/- 6.1 mm2) in patients with plaques was larger than that in those without plaques (19.0 +/- 6.5 mm2, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Coronary angiography considerably underestimates the occurrence of atherosclerotic stenoses in the LMCA because of coronary remodelling and methodological limitations. The greater sensitivity and accuracy of IVUS in detecting LMCA lesions, at both early and advanced stages, is of great clinical importance in patient management.

Adult

Cholinergic and alpha-adrenergic coronary vasomotion [corrected] with increasing ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Ischemia-reperfusion-induced injury of the coronary vasculature could result in an attenuated vasodilator or increased vasoconstrictor tone that might impact on myocardial recovery and viability. In 30 open-chest dogs the left circumflex coronary artery was occluded for 15 or 60 min and then reperfused, and responses to intracoronary acetylcholine, the alpha 1-adrenergic agonist methoxamine, and the alpha 2-adrenergic agonist BHT-933 (n = 10 each) were measured. In the experiments with 60 min of occlusion, triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining was used to distinguish reversibly (TTC+) and irreversibly (TTC-) injured myocardium. After 15 min of occlusion, the vasodilator response to acetylcholine was not altered but was significantly reduced in TTC+ subendocardium and midmyocardium after 60 min of occlusion and was further reduced in TTC- subendocardium, midmyocardium, and also in subepicardium. The vasoconstrictor responses to methoxamine and BHT-933 were not altered after 15 or 60 min of occlusion in both TTC+ and TTC- myocardium. Posterior wall thickening was not affected by acetylcholine, methoxamine, or BHT-933. Thus, in reversibly injured myocardium after 15 min of occlusion, cholinergic and alpha-adrenergic coronary vasomotor responses are unchanged. With increasing duration of ischemia, reversibly and even more so irreversibly injured reperfused myocardium are characterized by an impaired cholinergic coronary vasodilation but not an enhanced alpha-adrenergic coronary vaso-constriction.

Acetylcholine