Primary congenital anomalies of the coronary arteries and relation to atherosclerosis: an angiographic study in Lebanon

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Most coronary artery anomalies are congenital in origin. This study angiographically determined the prevalence of different forms of anomalous aortic origins of coronary anomalies and their anatomic variation in a selected adult Lebanese population. Correlation between these anomalies and stenotic coronary atherosclerotic disease was also investigated.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>4650 coronary angiographies were analyzed for anomalous aortic origin. These anomalies were clustered in four main groups: anomalous left circumflex (LCX) coronary artery, anomalous right coronary artery, anomalous left main coronary artery and anomalous left anterior descending coronary artery.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Thirty four patients had anomalous aortic origin of coronary arteries. Of these, anomalous LCX coronary artery was the most common (19 of 34 patients). The second most common anomaly was anomalous RCA origin (9 of 34 patients.) The incidence of coronary stenosis in non-anomalous vessels was 50%. However, a significantly smaller percentage (17.46%; 6 of 34 patients) of anomalous vessels exhibited significant stenosis, reminiscent of atherosclerotic disease. Of these six vessels, five were LCX coronary artery arising from right coronary sinus or from early branch of right coronary artery. The sixth was right coronary artery arising from left coronary sinus.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The incidence of congenital coronary anomalies in Lebanon is similar to other populations where the most common is the LCX coronary artery. Isolated congenital coronary anomalies do not increase the risk of developing coronary stenosis or atherosclerosis. Angiographic detection of these anomalies is clinically important for coronary angioplasty or cardiac surgery.</p

The role of combination antifungal therapy in the treatment of invasive aspergillosis: a systematic review

SummaryBackgroundBecause treatment outcomes of invasive aspergillosis (IA) remain suboptimal, clinicians have resorted to the use of combination antifungal therapy. We therefore sought to systematically review the evidence that addresses the role of combination antifungal therapy in the treatment of invasive aspergillosis.MethodsWe retrieved the literature from MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, and Scopus from inception up to March 2011 for cohort and randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies that assessed the efficacy of combination antifungal therapy for IA and reported on clinical outcomes.ResultsEight studies (one RCT and seven cohort studies) that enrolled a total of 1071 patients met our inclusion criteria. Six cohort studies examined the role of combination therapy for the primary treatment of IA and two for salvage therapy. Various antifungal combinations were used, mainly azoles with either an echinocandin or a polyene. Of the seven cohort studies, four reported adjusted effect estimates, one of which showed a better outcome with combination antifungal therapy and one a trend towards a better outcome, while the remaining two revealed that there was no added advantage of combination antifungal therapy over monotherapy or a better response with monotherapy, respectively. The randomized controlled trial revealed that the use of combination therapy was associated with a better outcome.ConclusionCumulative evidence supporting the use of combination antifungal therapy in IA is conflicting and of moderate strength. Well-designed RCTs are required to adequately address the issue of the usefulness of this approach