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Background Although catheter-induced left main coronary artery (LMCA) dissection is a rare complication of coronary catheterization, it is a common cause of periprocedural mortality. Emergent coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) is the mainstay for managing this acute complication. However, hemodynamic deterioration may progress while patients await emergent CABG; consequently, a high postoperative mortality rate has been reported. Although the number of cases was small, prompt bail-out stenting for iatrogenic LMCA dissection had reportedly reversed this complication with favorable clinical outcomes. Methods This study included 13 cases of attempted stenting for iatrogenic LMCA dissection classified as grades C–F based on the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) classification system. Angiographic success, in-hospital mortality and long-term outcomes were analyzed. Results The incidence of iatrogenic LM dissection was 0.071%. Most of the patients were initially asymptomatic. Angiographic success was achieved in 11 of 13 patients (84.6%). Including one patient who underwent emergent CABG after a failed wiring attempt, two mortalities occurred in this series. Mean follow-up duration of the ten patients discharged was 30.1±11.8 months, and no cardiac deaths occurred. Follow-up angiogram of eight patients with a mean interval of 5.2±2.3 months after initial event demonstrated restenosis in three patients occurring either at the ostiums of the left anterior descending artery or left circumflex artery. Revascularization was performed on two patients. Conclusions Successful bail-out stenting resulted in good long-term survival and should be considered for initial management of iatrogenic LMCA dissection.

Objectives: The TRA approach is commonly performed worldwide for both diagnostic cardiac catheterization and catheter-based coronary intervention. However, to our knowledge, the safety and feasibility of left and right VA angiographic study and stenting, in the same procedure, using the TRA approach for patients with brain ischemia have not been reported. Methods: The study included 24 consecutive patients (22 male, two female; age, 63–78 years). Indications for VA angiographic study and stenting were (1) prior stroke or symptoms related to vertebrobasilar ischemia and (2) an asymptomatic but vertebral angiographic finding of severe stenosis (>70%). A combination of the ipsilateral and retrograde-engagement technique, which involved a looping 6-F Kimny guiding catheter, was utilized for VA angiographic study. For VA stenting, an ipsilateral TRA approach with either a Kimny guiding catheter or a left internal mammary artery guiding catheter was utilized in 22 patients and retrograde-engagement technique in two patients. Results: A technically successful procedure was achieved in all patients, including left VA stenting in 15 patients and right VA stenting in nine patients. The mean time for stenting (from engagement to stent deployment) was 12.7 min. There were no vascular complications or mortality. However, one patient suffered from a transient ischemic attack that resolved within 3 h. Conclusion: We conclude that TRA access for both VA angiographic study and VA stenting is safe and effective, and provides a simple and useful clinical tool for patients unsuited for femoral arterial access.

The aim of this study was to confirm that plasma interleukin (IL)-18 level is associated with the extent of coronary artery disease in unstable angina patients. Previous studies have shown that patients with unstable angina have significantly higher plasma IL-18 levels than healthy volunteers. However, the association between IL-18 and the extent of coronary artery atherosclerosis in patients with unstable angina remains unclear. Plasma concentrations of IL-18 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were measured in 166 consecutive patients admitted for coronary arteriography. One hundred and eighteen patients with unstable angina had coronary artery disease (coronary artery disease group; severity score: 2.32 ± 1.47; Gensini score: 31.3 ± 25.9), and 48 patients with coronary risk factors and without coronary artery lesions served as the risk control group. Plasma levels of IL-18 were higher in the coronary artery disease group than in the risk control group (P = 0.062). Additionally, plasma levels of IL-18 were significantly higher in 77 coronary artery disease patients with severity score ≥2 than in the risk control group (242.3 ± 110.6 vs 209.8 ± 120.3 pg/ml, P = 0.016). By univariate analysis, log-transformed plasma IL-18 concentration was positively correlated with coronary artery disease severity score (r = 0.244, P = 0.009). By multiple regression analyses, the association between coronary artery disease severity score and IL-18 remained significant (β = 0.733, P = 0.017) when controlling for age, diabetes mellitus and left ventricular ejection fraction. Additionally, coronary artery disease severity score was greater in the highest tertile (>246 pg/ml) of plasma IL-18 levels than in the middle (176–246 pg/ml) and the lowest (