The GENetic DEterminants of Restenosis (GENDER) project is a multicenter prospective study, including 3104 consecutive patients after successful PCI. Forty-eight polymorphisms in 34 genes in pathways possibly involved in the inflammatory process were analyzed.

Abstract

The flexibility of the Multi-Link (ML) PENTA stent with platform 0.09 to 0.12-mm-thick struts and 12% to 16% metal/artery coverage was improved to facilitate safe delivery in complex coronary lesions. The present study was designed to evaluate the clinical (9-month) and angiographic (6-month) results of the ML PENTA stent in complex coronary lesions (modified American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association lesion type B2 or C) and to determine independent factors correlated with target lesion revascularization.

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Coronary angiography is often inadequate for estimating the severity of ambiguous left main coronary artery (LMCA) stenoses. Authors assessment of these lesions can be improved by the techniques of intravascular ultrasound and fractional flow reserve which provide indices of stenosis severity to enable the prediction of future events and planning of treatment.

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Clinical trials have begun to assess the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of administering progenitor cells to the heart in order to repair or perhaps reverse the effects of myocardial ischemia and injury. In contrast to surgical-based injections, which are often coupled with coronary bypass surgery, catheter-based injections are less invasive and make it possible to evaluate cell products used as sole interventions.

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Randomized clinical trials have shown that sirolimus-eluting stents (SESs) decrease restenosis rates compared with bare metal stents (BMSs), but their efficacy among patients who have diabetes mellitus remains to be established. This study investigated the effect of SES implantation in a high-risk population (i.e., patients who had diabetes and small coronary vessel disease).

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In patients who develop in-stent restenosis, successful revascularization can be difficult to achieve using percutaneous methods. This study was designed to verify the surgical results in this setting and to evaluate the potential beneficial role of arterial bypass conduits.

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After coronary stenting, inflammatory mechanisms play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of neointimal proliferation and in-stent restenosis. Drug-eluting stents (DESs) have been shown to decrease in-stent restenosis in different studies. We compared plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) levels after DES implantation with levels after bare metal stent (BMS) implantation.

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Randomized trials comparing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) with percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) for patients with multivessel coronary disease (MVD) report similar long-term survival for CABG and PCI. These studies used a highly selected population of patients and providers, and their results may not be generalizable to actual care. Our goal in this study was to compare long-term survival of MVD patients treated with CABG vs PCI in contemporary practice.

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The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the current medical literature pertaining to cardiovascular (CV) risk reduction and vascular event prevention in the setting of PCI, with emphasis on antiplatelet therapies, β-blockers, HMG-Co A reductase inhibitors (statins) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, with regard to therapy optimization during PCI and for chronic CAD.

Article

Background–MRI guidance of percutaneous transluminal balloon angioplasty (PTA) of aortic coarctation (CoA) would be desirable for continuous visualization of anatomy and to eliminate x-ray exposure. The aim of this study was to determine the suitability of MRI-controlled PTA using the iron oxide-based contrast medium Resovist (ferucarbotran) for catheter visualization and to subsequently apply this technique in a pilot study with patients with CoA.

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Depression is common in cardiac patients and has been associated with adverse clinical outcome. However, little is known about predictors of the onset of depressive symptoms. Authots examined predictors of the onset of depressive symptoms at 12 months post–percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients treated in the drug-eluting stent era.

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by Ron Waksman, MD published in The Journal of Invasive Cariology

Despite the development and progression of metallic stents, many concerns still remain because of their permanent nature. Although metallic stents are effective in preventing recoil and late restenosis after coronary angioplasty, they continue to have limitations such as stent thrombosis and mismatch of the stent to the vessel size. Thus, the concept of bioabsorbable stents has emerged as an alternative to permanent metal stents. This review will outline concepts, material designs, preclinical, and initial clinical experimental studies with bioabsorbable stents.

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Objectives: Indications for the use of stents are evolving and their optimal place in therapy remains to be defined. The objective was to compare the 1-year clinical and economic outcomes of percutaneous transluminal coronary agioplasty (PTCA) with and without the use of stents.

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Review by Patrick W. Serruys, M.D., Ph.D., Michael J.B. Kutryk, M.D., Ph.D., and Andrew T.L. Ong, M.B., B.S.

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Lithuanian interventional cardiologists in 2000-2002 annually performed respectively 1535, 1666 and 2085 coronary angiographies, 500, 532 and 632 PTCA, 120, 133 and 193 stenting procedures per 1000000 inhabitants.

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