Imaging Techniques for the Assessment of Coronary Arteries in Diabetic Patients Undergoing PCI with Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffolds

Patients who suffer from diabetes mellitus and present coronary artery disease are at a higher risk of cardiovascular events. The coronary arteries of diabetic patients present a diffuse process of atherosclerosis with frequent distal involvement, being prone to acute cardiovascular events. Diabetics present an increased rate of developing coronary artery remodeling, negative remodeling being representative for this class of patients; this process is characterized by vessel shrinkage and an increased rate of coronary calcium accumulation that is a predictor for cardiovascular risk. Currently, it is desired to improve the treatment of diabetic patients with bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS), because of their reduced risk of restenosis and the ability to restore coronary function, including vasomotion, adaptive shear stress, and expansive remodeling. Optical coherence tomography, intravascular ultrasound and multi-slice computed tomography are imaging techniques used for a high accuracy of diagnosis in coronary artery disease. This manuscript is a review that aims to highlight imaging techniques used for evaluating the functional impact of coronary lesions in diabetic patients who underwent coronary PCI with bioresorbable scaffolds and to describe the functional markers that show the specificity for predicting coronary artery disease

Correlations Between the Contrast Density Gradient along the Coronary Stents and Functional Significance of In-stent Restenosis

Introduction: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death worldwide and is associated with a significant socio-economic impact. In many cases, patients are treated with implanted coronary stents that carry a significant risk for reobstruction. The aim of our study was to evaluate the importance of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) in evaluating the significance of in-stent restenosis lesions and for establishing the indication for reintervention in these cases

Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation of Parahisian Accessory Pathway

Radiofrequency catheter ablation of parahisian accessory pathways in pre-excitation syndrome is a challenging task, due to the extremely high risk of complete atrioventricular block. In this brief report we describe the case of a 32 year-old man presenting a parahisian accessory pathway, who has been successfully treated by radiofrequency ablation. Radiofrequency catheter ablation using low-power radiofrequency current is considered to be the most appropiate method of ablation in adult patients

Association Between Severity of Peripheral Artery Disease Angio CT-derived Coronary Syntax Score in Patients with Critical Limb Ischemia

Introduction: Peripheral artery disease, a frequent consequence of atherosclerosis, is usually associated with concomitant ischaemic coronary artery disease and with a high rate of cardiovascular mortality

Predictors of Left Ventricular Remodeling after Revascularized Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background: The acute loss of myocardium, following an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) leads to an abrupt increase in the loading conditions that induces a pattern of left ventricular remodeling (LVR). It has been shown that remodeling occurs rapidly and progressively within weeks after the AMI

Positive Remodeling as a Biomarker of Plaque Vulnerability — at the Border Between Invasive and Noninvasive Assessment

Since the introduction of the new concepts of plaque vulnerability and patient vulnerability, many researchers have focused on different biomarkers that can represent predictors for coronary plaque instability. One of the features that characterize the vulnerable coronary plaque is positive remodeling, which can be easily identified by computed tomography angiography, a noninvasive procedure, or by other invasive methods such as intravascular ultrasound. This review aims to describe the assessment of positive remodeling as a marker of coronary plaque instability and the differences between computed tomography angiography and intravascular ultrasound in investigating this new biomarker

Correlations Between Severity of Coronary Lesions and Epicardial Fat Volume in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease – a Multislice CT-based Study

Background: Epicardial fat has been recently identified as a major player in the development of the atherosclerotic process

Predictors Of Mortality In Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Acute Myocardial Infarction And Resuscitated Out-Of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Introduction: In patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) complicating an ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the survival depends largely on the restoration of coronary flow in the infarct related artery. The aim of this study was to determine clinical and angiographic predictors of in-hospital mortality in patients with OHCA and STEMI, successfully resuscitated and undergoing primary percutaneous intervention (PCI)