Aim: The predictors of restenosis after endovascular therapy (EVT) with paclitaxel drug-coated balloons (DCBs) have not been clearly established. The present study aimed to investigate the ...association of post-procedural dissection, as evaluated using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), with the risk of restenosis following femoropopliteal EVT with paclitaxel DCBs. Methods: In the present single-center retrospective study, 60 de novo femoropopliteal lesions (44 patients) that underwent EVT with DCBs, without bail-out stenting, were enrolled. The primary outcome was 1-year primary patency. Risk factors for restenosis were evaluated using a Cox proportional hazards regression model and random survival forest analysis. Results: The 1-year primary patency rate was 57.2% 95% confidence interval, 45%–72%. IVUS-evaluated post-procedural dissection was significantly associated with the risk of restenosis (P=0.002), with the best cutoff point of 64º range, 39º–83º. The random survival forest analysis showed that the variable importance measure of IVUS-evaluated dissection was significantly lower than that of the reference vessel diameter (P<0.001), not different from that of the lesion length (P=0.41), and significantly higher than that of any other clinical feature (all P<0.05). Conclusion: IVUS-evaluated post-procedural dissection was associated with 1-year restenosis following femoropopliteal EVT with DCB.
Background:The use of iodine contrast agents is one possible limitation in cryoballoon ablation (CBA) for atrial fibrillation (AF). This study investigated intracardiac echography (ICE)-guided ...contrast-free CBA.Methods and Results:The study was divided into 2 phases. First, 25 paroxysmal AF patients (Group 1) underwent CBA, and peri-balloon leak flow velocity (PLFV) was assessed using ICE and electrical pulmonary vein (PV) lesion gaps were assessed by high-density electroanatomical mapping. Then, 24 patients (Group 2) underwent ICE-guided CBA and were compared with 25 patients who underwent conventional CBA (historical controls). In Group 1, there was a significant correlation between PLFV and electrical PV gap diameter (r=–0.715, P<0.001). PLFV was higher without than with an electrical gap (mean ±SD 127.0±28.6 vs. 66.6±21.0 cm/s; P<0.001) and the cut-off value of PLFV to predict electrical isolation was 105.7 cm/s (sensitivity 0.700, specificity 0.929). In Group 2, ICE-guided CBA was successfully performed with acute electrical isolation of all PVs and without the need for “rescue” contrast injection. Atrial tachyarrhythmia recurrence at 6 months did not differ between ICE-guided and conventional CBA (3/24 12.5% vs. 5/25 20.0%, respectively; P=0.973, log-rank test).Conclusions:PLFV predicted the presence of an electrical PV gap after CBA. ICE-guided CBA was feasible and safe, and could potentially be performed completely contrast-free without a decrease in ablation efficacy.
Background: Side branch (SB) occlusion during bifurcation stenting is a serious complication. This study aimed to predict SB compromise (SBC) using optical coherence tomography (OCT).Methods and ...Results: Among the 168 patients who enrolled in the 3D-OCT Bifurcation Registry, 111 bifurcation lesions were analyzed to develop an OCT risk score for predicting SBC. SBC was defined as worsening of angiographic SB ostial stenosis (≥90%) immediately after stenting. On the basis of OCT before stenting, geometric parameters (SB diameter SBd, length from proximal branching point to carina tip BP-CT length, and distance of the polygon of confluence dPOC) and 3-dimensional bifurcation types (parallel or perpendicular) were evaluated. SBC occurred in 36 (32%) lesions. The parallel-type bifurcation was significantly more frequent in lesions with SBC. The receiver operating characteristic curve indicated SBd ≤1.77 mm (area under the curve AUC=0.73, sensitivity 64%, specificity 75%), BP-CT length ≤1.8 mm (AUC=0.83, sensitivity 86%, specificity 68%), and dPOC ≤3.96 mm (AUC=0.68, sensitivity 63%, specificity 69%) as the best cut-off values for predicting SBC. To create the OCT risk score, we assigned 1 point to each of these factors. As the score increased, the frequency of SBC increased significantly (Score 0, 0%; Score 1, 8.7%; Score 2, 28%; Score 3, 58%; Score 4, 85%; P<0.0001).Conclusions: Prediction of SBC using OCT is feasible with high probability.
Abstract Background The addition of highly purified eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) to statin therapy prevents cardiovascular events. However, the impact of this treatment on vulnerable plaques remains ...unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of adding EPA to a standard statin therapy on vulnerable plaques by serial optical coherence tomography (OCT). Methods Forty-nine non-culprit thin-cap fibroatheroma (TCFA) lesions in 30 patients with untreated dyslipidemia were included. Patients were randomly assigned to EPA (1800 mg/day) + statin (23 TCFA, 15 patients) or statin only (26 TCFA, 15 patients) treatment. The statin (rosuvastatin) dose was adjusted to achieve a target low-density lipoprotein (LDL) level of <70 mg/dL. Post-percutaneous intervention and 9-month follow-up OCT were performed to evaluate morphological changes of TCFAs. The EPA/arachidonic acid (EPA/AA) ratio and pentraxin-3 (PTX3) levels were also evaluated. Results Despite similar follow-up LDL levels, the EPA + statin group had higher EPA/AA ratios and lower PTX3 levels than the statin group. OCT analysis showed that the EPA + statin group had a greater increase in fibrous-cap thickness, with a greater decrease in lipid arc and lipid length. Macrophage accumulation was less frequently detected in the EPA + statin group than in the statin group at follow-up. When the patients were categorized according to their follow-up PTX3 tertiles, fibrous-cap thickness showed significant increase, and the incidence of macrophages accumulation decreased with lower PTX3 levels. Conclusion The concomitant use of EPA and rosuvastatin may stabilize vulnerable plaques better than the statin alone, possibly by suppressing arterial inflammation.
This retrospective, single-center study evaluated the patency rate and predictors of restenosis after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) for femoropopliteal stenotic lesions using ...intravascular ultrasound. We assessed 78 de novo femoropopliteal stenotic lesions (64 patients; mean age, 73.6 ± 9.4 years; average lesion length, 59.8 mm) that underwent PTA under intravascular ultrasound guidance. The primary endpoint was 1-year primary patency. The 1-year primary patency rate was 63%. The frequency of insulin use was significantly greater (44% vs. 12%,
p
= 0.005), and lesions were significantly longer (77.8 mm vs. 49.2 mm,
p
= 0.047) in the restenosis group than in the non-restenosis group. The pre-intervention reference lumen area and minimum lumen area (MLA) were significantly smaller in the restenosis group (reference lumen area: 19.7 ± 6.7 mm
2
vs. 23.7 ± 7.4 mm
2
,
p
= 0.017; MLA 3.9 ± 2.8 mm
2
vs. 5.7 ± 3.9 mm
2
,
p
= 0.026; respectively). The MLA was significantly smaller and the maximum angle of dissection was significantly larger in the restenosis group (MLA 9.3 mm
2
vs. 12.3 mm
2
,
p
= 0.013; maximum angle of dissection: 104.1° vs. 69.6°,
p
= 0.003; respectively) among post-intervention parameters. Multivariate analysis revealed that the independent predictors of 1-year restenosis were the large post-intervention maximum angle of dissection and insulin use. Per receiver operating curve analysis, the best cut-off value of the post-intervention maximum angle of dissection that predicted 1-year restenosis was 70.2° (sensitivity 72.4%, specificity 63.3%, area under the curve 0.70,
p
= 0.004). In conclusion, the 1-year primary patency rate after PTA for relatively short stenotic femoropopliteal lesions was 63%. The large post-intervention maximum angle of dissection, measured using intravascular ultrasound, and insulin use were independent predictors of restenosis after PTA.
During the coronary bifurcation intervention procedure, imaging including intravascular ultrasound and optical coherence tomography is essential to provide precise anatomy of the lesion and ...morphological information. This consensus document between the Korean Bifurcation Club and the Japanese Bifurcation Club summarizes practical guidelines and current evidences on lesion assessment, device selection, procedural guidance, and the optimization of bifurcation intervention by the imaging.
Intracoronary imaging improves clinical outcomes after stenting of complex coronary bifurcation lesions (CBLs), but the impact of Medina classification-based CBL distribution on outcomes of ...imaging-guided bifurcation stenting is unclear.
In this integrated analysis of four previous studies, in which all CBLs were treated with drug-eluting stents under intravascular ultrasound or optical coherence tomography guidance, the distribution of 763 CBLs was assessed using angiographic Medina classification. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE), including target lesion revascularization (TLR), myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, and cardiac death, were investigated at 1-year follow-up.
The most and least prevalent Medina subtypes were 0-1-0 (27.9 %) and 0-0-1 lesions (2.8 %). The most and least frequent MACE/TLR rates were 18.2 %/18.2 % for 0-0-1 lesions and 4.1 %/2.8 % for 0-1-0 lesions. Risks were higher for 0-0-1 lesions than for 0-1-0 lesions for both MACE (hazard ratio HR: 4.04, 95 % confidence interval CI: 1.21–13.45, p = 0.02) and TLR (HR: 6.19, 95 % CI: 1.69–22.74, p = 0.006). MACE rates were similar for true and non-true CBLs excluding 0-0-1 lesions (8.2 % and 5.9 %, HR 1.54, 95 % CI: 0.86–2.77, p = 0.15), while MACE (HR: 3.25, 95 % CI: 1.10–9.63, p = 0.03) and TLR (HR: 4.24, 95 % CI: 1.38–12.96, p = 0.01) risks were higher for 0-0-1 lesions.
This integrated analysis of imaging-guided bifurcation stenting demonstrated similar clinical outcomes in true and non-true CBLs, except for 0-0-1 lesions, which had a significantly higher risk of MACE/TLR.