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Publications and source records attributed to S Arie.
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BACKGROUND: Unstable angina is a heterogeneous clinical syndrome. The diverse clinical presentations of unstable angina may reflect different pathogenic mechanisms within the plaque. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cellular constituents of culprit coronary atheromatous plaques in patients with stable angina pectoris and patients with diverse clinical presentations of unstable angina. METHODS: 48 patients who underwent coronary atherectomy for management of ischaemic heart disease: 23 had stable angina and 25 had unstable angina. Of the latter, 11 patients were classified as Braunwald's IIB and 14 as Braunwald's IIIB unstable angina. The presence of thrombus, cholesterol clefts, and smooth muscle cell proliferation was assessed in atherectomy samples using standard histological techniques. Monoclonal antibodies were used to identify smooth muscle cells and macrophages within atherosclerotic plaque fragments. RESULTS: Fresh thrombus was more frequently found in patients with Braunwald's IIIB unstable angina (64%) than in patients with stable angina (22%) or IIB unstable angina (27%) (p < 0.0006). A pattern of smooth muscle cell proliferation ("accelerated progression pattern") was observed which was also associated with coronary thrombus. This pattern was present in 30% of patients with stable angina, 64% of patients with IIIB unstable angina, and in all patients (100%) with IIB unstable angina. Atherosclerotic plaques with thrombus, cholesterol clefts, and macrophages were more common in patients with unstable angina than in stable angina patients. CONCLUSION: The presence of a specific smooth muscle cell proliferation (accelerated progression) pattern in patients with unstable angina, particularly in those with Braunwald's IIB unstable angina, suggests that episodic plaque disruption and subsequent healing may be an important mechanism underlying angina symptoms in these patients.
A 60 year-old woman with progressive angina who had been submitted to saphenous bypass-graft to right coronary artery and a left mammary artery graft to anterior descending artery eight years previously, underwent implantation of a Gianturco Roubin II stent in the proximal third of the saphenous vein graft. The result was suboptimal by persistence of a residual stenosis probably due to prolapse of atherosclerotic material through the coil spaces. Another stent (Palmaz-Schatz biliar stent) was implanted at the previously stented site with no residual stenosis. Another Palmaz-Schatz biliar stent was successfully implanted in the distal body of the graft to treat another lesion (passing through the previously stents without difficulty). Stenting a stent, in selected situations, is a useful tool to optimize the angiographic result of stent implantation.
BACKGROUND: Short-term administration of 17beta-estradiol improves effort-induced myocardial ischemia in female patients with coronary artery disease. 17Beta-estradiol also has direct and indirect coronary vascular smooth muscle relaxing properties. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of short-term administration of 17beta-estradiol on pacing-induced myocardial ischemia by means of continuous monitoring of coronary sinus pH in 16 postmenopausal female patients with coronary artery disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients underwent incremental atrial pacing starting at a rate of 100 bpm and increments of 20 bpm every 2 minutes up to 160 bpm before and 20 minutes after either 17beta-estradiol (1 mg sublingual, 9 patients) or placebo (sublingual, 7 patients). The time to the onset of myocardial ischemia during pacing was significantly increased by 17beta-estradiol (mean+/-SD, 254+/-36 versus 298+/-23 seconds; P<.02) but not by placebo (262+/-45 versus 256+/-34 seconds; P=NS) The pH shift was significantly reduced by 17beta-estradiol but not by placebo at every step of the pacing protocol. The maximum pH shift at peak pacing was significantly reduced by the administration of 17beta-estradiol by 0.022 pH units (95% CI, 0.001, 0.043; P<.04) but not by sublingual placebo (-0.002 pH units; 95% CI, -0.0073, 0.0021; P=NS). The maximum pH shift at maximum comparable pacing was also reduced by 17beta-estradiol by 0.015 pH units (95% CI, 0.012, 0.017; P<.001) but not by placebo (-0.0022 pH units; 95% CI, -0.006, 0.0015; P=NS). CONCLUSIONS: 17Beta-estradiol reduces the degree of pacing-induced myocardial ischemia in postmenopausal patients with coronary artery disease. The reduction of pacing-induced coronary sinus pH shift is consistent with an anti-ischemic effect of the hormone and is not due to preconditioning, as evidenced by the absence of improvement after placebo.
OBJECTIVES: This study sought to characterize leukocyte and platelet activation and adhesion molecule expression after coronary angioplasty. BACKGROUND: Coronary angioplasty can be regarded as a clinical model of postischemic inflammation because this intervention leads to the release of inflammatory mediators as a result of plaque rupture and endothelial injury. METHODS: In 13 patients with stable angina (mean [ +/- SEM] age 56.0 +/- 2.4 years, range 44 to 79), blood samples were drawn from the aorta and coronary sinus immediately before and immediately and 15 min after coronary angioplasty. Subsequently, leukocyte and platelet functions were determined. Eleven control patients (57.5 +/- 2.3 years, range 52 to 78) underwent coronary arteriography. RESULTS: Coronary arteriography and angioplasty showed no difference in number of leukocytes between the coronary sinus and the aorta. However, 15 min after coronary angioplasty, there was an increase in neutrophil CD18 and CD11b, monocyte CD14 and platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa expression and a decrease in neutrophil L-selectin expression (189 +/- 25%, 163 +/- 27%, 158 +/- 35%, 141 +/- 22% and 31 +/- 10%, respectively, p < 0.01). In the control subjects, no change in adhesion molecule expression occurred. Superoxide production and aggregation in ex vivo-stimulated neutrophils collected from the coronary sinus 15 min after coronary angioplasty was significantly decreased compared with that after coronary arteriography (54 +/- 12% vs. 106 +/- 30% and 58 +/- 11% vs. 102 +/- 29%, respectively, p < 0.01). The reduced responses to phorbol ester stimulation may be explained by previous in vivo activation of neutrophils during coronary angioplasty. CONCLUSIONS: Coronary angioplasty increases neutrophil, monocyte and platelet adhesion molecule expression and induces a significant decrease in ex vivo-stimulated neutrophil superoxide generation and aggregation. These findings suggest that coronary angioplasty triggers cellular activation with an inflammatory response that could contribute to restenosis.
PURPOSE: To evaluate the early luminal diameter loss in the first 15 min after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) and its influence on coronary restenosis. METHODS: In a prospective study, we evaluated 86 patients. The patients were divided in two groups based on the presence or absence of coronary restenosis. Thirty one lesions developed restenosis and 55 lesions did not. RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed that balloon/artery ratio was lower in the group of restenosis (0.92 +/- 0.01 vs 1.00 +/- 0.11, P = .003). Absolute and relative elastic recoil at 1 min was greater in the group that developed restenosis (0.79 +/- 0.54 vs 0.68 +/- 0.59 mm; P = .007 and 32.04 +/- 14.27 vs 22.15 +/- 16.65%; P = .006). Similarly, absolute and relative elastic recoil at 15 min were greater in the group with restenosis (1.25 +/- 0.59 vs 0.90 +/- 0.65 mm, P = .017 e 46.75 +/- 15.69 vs 29.18 +/- 17.84%, P < .00001). Minimal luminal diameter (MLD) at 1 min was lower in the group with restenosis (2.15 +/- 0.42 vs 2.43 +/- 0.58 mm; P = .022). The very early loss was greater in the group with restenosis (0.46 +/- 0.34 vs 0.22 +/- 0.35 mm, P = .004). MLD at 15 min was lower in the group of restenosis than in the group without restenosis (1.69 +/- 0.48 vs 2.20 +/- 0.61; P = .0001). Multivariate analysis revealed balloon/artery ratio and MLD at 15 min as independent correlates of the late outcome. CONCLUSION: The late outcome of PTCA is influenced by elastic recoil and the early MLD loss after PTCA. However, the strongest and most important predictors of late outcome by multivariate analysis were balloon/artery ratio and MLD at 15 min.
PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of sublingual isosorbide-5 mononitrate (ISMN) and nitroglycerin (NTG) on luminal diameter of epicardial coronary arteries, mean arterial pressure and deleterious effects. METHODS: Fifty patients were submitted to cardiac catheterization and coronary arteriography, at baseline, and 5 min after sublingual administration of ISMN, group A (GA) or NTG, group B (GB). RESULTS: Reference vessel diameter increased in both groups, without statistical significance. In GA and GB, a decrease (1.66 mmHg) and an increase (0.79 mmHg) in mean arterial pressure, respectively, were demonstrated (p = 0.123). There were no deleterious effects with the use of these drugs. CONCLUSION: Sublingual ISMN is an alternative to administration of NTG during coronary arteriography, and represents a therapeutic alternative to ischemic heart disease treatment.
We report the use of excimer-laser angioplasty for the treatment of Wiktor and Gianturco-Roubin in-stent restenosis of in two patients. Case 1-a 48-year-old man presented unstable angina five months after Wiktor stent was deployed in right coronary artery. Cardiac catheterization revealed stenosis (95%) within the stent. Case 2-a 65-year-old man presented stable angina four months after Gianturco-Roubin stent was deployed in left anterior descending artery. Cardiac catheterization revealed stenosis (80%) within the stent. Excimer-laser angioplasty within the stent reduced the stenosis to 19% and 30%, respectively. The patients recovered and currently, six months post-procedure, are free of chest pain, and cardiac catheterization revealed stenosis to 30% and 35%, respectively, within the stent. Therefore, the procedure was an effective means of treating restenosis after coronary stent placement, and a prospective comparison of excimer-laser angioplasty and other management alternatives to in-stent restenosis is needed.
BACKGROUND: Whether myocardial ischaemia is the mechanism underlying chest pain in patients with angina and normal coronary arteriograms is controversial. We sought to detect the presence of transient myocardial ischaemia using continuous monitoring of coronary sinus blood pH during atrial pacing. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 14 patients (eight women, six men, mean age 51 +/- 3 years) with typical exertional angina and normal coronary arteriograms and nine patients with coronary artery disease (two men, seven women, mean age 61 +/- 7 years). Of the 14 patients with normal coronary arteries, eight had a reduced coronary blood flow reserve (< 2.5-fold increase), 11 had an ischaemic-appearing response to exercise testing, six had reversible perfusion detects on exercise thallium scans and one had resting left bundle branch block. All patients underwent continuous pH monitoring of coronary sinus blood at rest and during incremental atrial pacing (up to 160 bpm). Coronary sinus oxygen saturation and myocardial lactate extraction ratio were also evaluated at rest and at peak pacing. Eleven patients with angina and normal coronary arteries and eight with coronary artery disease had angina during pacing. Both patients with angina and normal coronary arteries (n = 13) and patients with coronary artery disease (n = 9) showed a fall in coronary sinus pH (-0.02 +/- 0.02 vs -0.11 +/- 0.03 pH units, respectively, P < 0.01). Coronary sinus oxygen saturation expressed as a percentage dropped by 19 +/- 6% in patients with coronary artery disease and by 6 +/- 2% in patients with angina and normal coronary arteriograms (P < 0.05). Myocardial lactate extraction ratio decreased from 33 +/- 6% to -1.4 +/- 4% in patients with coronary artery disease and from 23 +/- 8% to 20 +/- 8% in those with angina and normal coronary arteriograms. Three patients with angina and normal coronary arteries had a drop in coronary sinus pH > 0.02 pH units (-0.043 +/- 0.006 pH units) and in coronary sinus oxygen saturation > 8% (16 +/- 3%) consistent with myocardial ischaemia. CONCLUSION: Despite severe chest pain and reduced coronary flow reserve after pacing, most patients with angina and normal coronary arteriograms do not show metabolic evidence of myocardial ischaemia.
PURPOSE: To determine the time course of elastic recoil (ER) in the first 15min after successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). METHODS: One hundred and fifty four patients, with stable or unstable angina were successfully submitted to PTCA. Coronary angiography was undertaken shortly after balloon deflation and repeated 5, 10 and 15 min thereafter. Quantitative coronary angiography was performed with the aid of an eletronic caliper. We calculated the minimal luminal diameter (MLD) and elastic recoil in all angiograms. RESULTS: The average artery's reference diameter was 3.09 +/- 0.61mm and the maximal balloon diameter was 2.95 +/- 0.52mm. MLD before the procedure was 0.65 +/- 0.42mm reaching 2.23 +/- 0.55mm immediately after dilatation (p < 0.0001), and decreasing to 2.09 +/- 0.47mm at 5min (p < 0.0001), 2.01 +/- 0.47 at 10min (p < 0.0001) and to 1.91 +/- 0.56mm at 15min (p < 0.0001). ER increased during the 1st 15min after PTCA, averaging 34.29 +/- 20.40%. In the group of patients whose balloon/artery relationship was < or = 1, the total ER was 0.90 +/- 0.74mm at 15min and 1.20 +/- 0.50mm when the ratio was > 1 (p < 0.0001). We noted that ER in the group of patients with residual stenosis ranging from 30 to 50% at the immediate angiogram after PTCA was greater than in the group whose residual stenosis was less than 30%. CONCLUSION: ER is a dynamic and progressive phenomenon taking place within the 1st 15 min after a successful PTCA. Total ER was 34.29 +/- 20.40% at 15min and was greater when balloon/artery relationship was > 1. Residual stenosis ranging from 30 to 50% in the control immediately after the procedure is a predictive factor of greater ER in the 15min following PTCA.
The authors describe a rare case of circumflex coronary artery perforation during rotational coronary atherectomy complicated with cardiac tamponade and good outcome. The possible causes of perforation are discussed and the burr oversize (burr/artery ratio was 0.58) was refused. Shortening and artery plicature (accordeon effect) might have been the cause of this event. Quantitative measurement was made in order to strengthen this hypothesis. It is emphasized the importance of selecting lesions that should be submitted to rotational coronary atherectomy.
Endomyocardial fibrosis is an endemic cardiac disease, characterized by the presence of fibrous tissue in the endocardium, eventually extending to the myocardium. Massive endocardial calcification of the left ventricle is a rare finding, with only a few cases reported in the literature. We reported a first case of biventricular massive endocardial calcification associated with endomyocardial fibrosis in a 22 year old woman.
A 56-year-old female patient underwent myocardial revascularization with three saphenous bypass grafts. One month after surgery she had an acute myocardial infarction with cardiogenic shock and was treated with a Palmaz-Schatz stent implantation in the left main coronary artery (that was occluded) and a PTCA of the graft to the right coronary artery. The in hospital outcome was uneventful and angiographic study after six months showed no restenosis and important improvement in the left ventricular function.
PURPOSE: To evaluate the immediate and long term results of percutaneous transluminal coronary balloon angioplasty (PTCA) in patients over 80 years old. METHODS: From 1/1/89 to 6/31/95, 97 patients with 80 years of age or older were submitted to PTCA and were divided into three groups: group A (GrA)-30 patients with stable angina, mean age of 82.5 years, 24 (80%) men; group B(GrB)-40 patients with unstable angina, mean age 81.2 years, 31 (77.5%) men; group C (GrC)-27 patients with myocardial infarction (MI), mean age of 82 years, 16 (59.2%) men. RESULTS: Early outcome-general success rate of 84.5% and mortality rate of 5.1%. The success and mortality rate were in GrA 83.3% and 3.3%, in GrB 85% and 5% and in GrC 85.2% and 7.4%, respectively. Late outcome-the number and percentage of patients with late follow-up and the clinic-angiographic and angiographic restenosis rates were for GrA 19(76%), 52.9%, 75%; GrB 30(88.2%), 30.8%, 61.5% and GrC 12(52.2%), 66.6%, 85.7%, respectively. CONCLUSION: PTCA can be considered an important revascularization alternative in octogenarian patients because of high early success rate, low mortality and acceptable long-term outcome.
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OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evaluate, in a prospective and randomized trial, the relative efficacies of three possible therapeutic strategies for patients with a single severe proximal stenosis of the left anterior descending coronary artery and stable angina. BACKGROUND: Although percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and coronary artery bypass surgery are often performed in patients with a single proximal stenosis of the left anterior descending coronary artery, it is unclear whether revascularization offers greater clinical benefit than medical therapy alone. METHODS: At a single center, 214 patients with stable angina, normal ventricular function and a proximal stenosis of the left anterior descending coronary artery > 80% were randomly assigned to undergo mammary bypass surgery (n = 70), balloon angioplasty (n = 72) or medical therapy alone (n = 72). Angioplasty had to be considered technically feasible in every case. The predefined primary study end point was the combined incidence of cardiac death, myocardial infarction or refractory angina requiring revascularization. RESULTS: At an average follow-up period of 3 years, a primary end point had occurred in only 2 patients (3%) assigned to bypass surgery compared with 17 assigned to angioplasty (24%) and 12 assigned to medical therapy (17%) (p = 0.0002, angioplasty vs. bypass surgery; p = 0.006, bypass surgery vs. medical treatment; p = 0.28, angioplasty vs. medical treatment, all by log-rank test). There was no difference in mortality or infarction rates among the groups. However, no patient allocated to bypass surgery needed revascularization, compared with eight and seven patients assigned, respectively, to coronary angioplasty and medical treatment (p = 0.019). Both revascularization techniques resulted in greater symptomatic relief and a lower incidence of ischemia on the treadmill test; however, all three strategies eventually resulted in the abolition of limiting angina. CONCLUSIONS: The more aggressive therapeutic approach with initial bypass surgery for patients with a single severe proximal stenosis of the left anterior descending coronary artery is associated with a lower incidence of medium-term adverse events than coronary angioplasty or medical treatment. However, all three strategies resulted in a similar incidence of death and infarction during an average follow-up period of 3 years. This information should be taken into consideration when physicians and patients make therapeutic choices in this setting.
PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence of residual left-to-right shunt in patients submitted to closure of patent ductus arteriosus with use of Rashkind double-disc ductal occluding device, analyzing predictive factors that determine short and long-term prevalence of residual shunt. METHODS: Thirteen patients were submitted to percutaneous closure of patent ductus arteriosus with use of Rashkind double-disc device. Ten patients were male with mean age of 5.7 years. A 12mm diameter device was used in 7 cases and a 17mm device in the remaining six patients. All patients had clinical, radiological and echocardiographic follow up, after 24h, 1 month, 6 months and one year after the procedure. Morphology and length of the ductus arteriosus and the presence of residual shunt after 15 min, 24h and one year after the procedure, were correlated. RESULTS: In one case, embolization of the device to the pulmonary artery determined the in success of the procedure. Residual shunt was present in 75% of the patients after 15 min of the procedure, in 33.3% after 24h, in 25% after 1 month and 6 months and in 16.6% after 1 year. The most important and isolated predictive factor leading to a high prevalence of residual shunt after 24h and after 1 year of the procedure was the presence of ductus arteriosus diameter > or = 4.5mm at the site of its insertion in the pulmonary artery. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of residual left-to-right shunt decreases over the time, with a low incidence after one year follow-up. A higher incidence of residual shunt at 24h and 1 year after the procedure occurred in the cases where the diameter of the ductus arteriosus was > or = 4.5mm, at the site of its insertion in the pulmonary artery.
Lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] is an atherogenic lipoprotein resembling low-density lipoprotein (LDL) but with an additional apoprotein (apo), apo(a). To determine whether plasma Lp(a) levels can influence the clinical presentation and extent of coronary artery disease (CAD), Lp(a), plasma lipids and apolipoproteins were determined in 203 Caucasian subjects with CAD and in 66 subjects without CAD, all confirmed by cinecoronariography. CAD patients were divided into groups according to their clinical history. The extent of the disease was evaluated by a scoring system. Lp(a) was elevated in CAD patients compared to subjects without CAD. However, there was no difference between patients that had myocardial infarction as the first manifestation of the disease and those who had only angina pectoris for at least two years. Plasma Lp(a) levels were correlated with extent of the disease. Among patients with CAD, Lp(a) was higher in females. Lp(a) was also studied separately in 29 Black subjects, 12 without CAD and 17 with CAD. In Black subjects, Lp(a) was higher than in Caucasians but there was no difference between subjects with and without CAD. Among the other risk factors studied, only plasma apo B levels and smoking were correlated with CAD.