No abstract available.
Coronary Vessels ; Ultrasonography

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection(SCD) is a rare entity that is infrequently diasnosed antemortem. The majority of patients have presented with acute myocardial infaction or sudden death. the etiology, prognosis and treatment of this entity remain ill-defined. We report two cases of SCD which were diagnosed by coronary agniogram and intracoronary ultrasound.
Coronary Vessels* ; Death, Sudden ; Humans ; Prognosis ; Ultrasonography

Intravascular ultrasound is a usful too to assess the adequate stent strut expansion after stent implantation and nowadays it can bo also used as a dicision making method about omitting anticoagulant therapy. We used intravascular ultrasound before and after Palmz-schatz stent implantation in 3 patients with coronary artery narrowings and analysed serial post porcedure lumen diameter, cross sectional area. We think it is a useful tool to assess the effect of stent implantation and post stent balloon dilatation.
Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Dilatation ; Humans ; Methods ; Stents ; Ultrasonography

Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging was performed to assess the coronary wall morphology in detail at 22 months after the onset of Kawasaki disease in a girl who had developed coronary aneurysms at 4 yr of age. The sites of persistent aneurysms demonstrated a dilated lumen with a marked symmetrical or asymmetrical thickening of the intima-media complex. This pathologic finding was also present in angiographically normal vessels near an aneurysm but with a mild thickening. Coronary artery calcification was observed at one site in the aneurysms. The sites of normal coronary artery far from an aneurysm showed normal intravascular ultrasound findings with no measurable intima-media complex. Our case indicates that the healing process may continue via cell proliferation, with extension to the proximity of the coronary aneurysms. IVUS is useful to evaluate the coronary wall morphology and may be valuable in the long-term follow-up of coronary lesions due to Kawasaki disease.
Case Report ; Child, Preschool ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Vessels/*ultrasonography ; Female ; Human ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome/*ultrasonography

BACKGROUND: To overcome the limitation of angiography, intravascular ultrasound(IVUS) is widely used to guide coronary stent implantation. We compared the quantitative measurements of IVUS and quantitaitve coronary angiographic(QVA) analysis after stent implantation. METHODS: Thirty nine patients with 39 coronary lesions underwent coronary stent implantation. The implanted stents were CrossFlex stent in 17, NIR stent in 13, Palmaz-Schatz stent in 6, Multilink stent in 2 patients, and Divysio stent in 1 patient. Post-stent IVUS procedure with automatic pullback device was performed successfully in all patients after angiographic optimization. IVUS and QCA measurements included the minimum lumen diameter at proximal and distal reference artery, and stented site after intracoronary administration of 0.2mg nitroglycerin. RESULTS: IVUS and QCA measurement of minimal luminal diameter(MLD) at proximal and distal reference artery, and stented site correlated reliably each other(r=0.62, p<0.01 ; r=0.77, p<0.01 ; r=0.73, p<0.01 respectively). Event if insignificant statistical difference, there was a tendency of larger MLD at proximal and distal reference artery by IVUS measurement than by QCA measurement(3.2+/-0.5mm vs. 3.1+/-0.4mm, p=0.2 : 3.1+/-0.6mm vs. 3.0+/-0.7mm, p=0.2, respectively). The MLD at stented site was significantly larger by QCA measurement than by IVUS measurement(3.2+/-0.6mm vs. 2.9+/-0.5mm, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We concluded 1) the correlation between IVUS and QCA measurements of reference vessel and stented site was reliable. 2) There was a tendency of larger luminal diameter at reference vessel by IVUS than by QCA. 3) The minimal luminal diameter was measured significantly larger at stented site by QCA than by IVUS.
Angiography ; Arteries ; Coronary Vessels* ; Humans ; Nitroglycerin ; Phenobarbital ; Stents* ; Ultrasonography*

BACKGROUND: Factors leading to coronary remodeling and relationship between remodeling patterns and clinical presentation remain unclear. METHODS: Seventy-five culprit lesions of 75 patients with acute coronary syndrome(ACS)(n=9) and stable angina(SA)(n=6)(60 men and 15 women; mean age 56+/-10 years) were studied by intravascular ultrasound. Remodeling index(RI) was calculated as culprit lesion vessel area(VA)/proximal reference VA. We defined: 1)compensatory remodeling(CpR) as RI> or =1.1; 2)constrictive remodeling(CsR) as RI< or =0.9; 3)no remodeling(NR) as 0.9 Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Coronary Vessels* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Risk Factors ; Ultrasonography*

BACKGROUND: Factors leading to coronary remodeling and relationship between remodeling patterns and clinical presentation remain unclear. METHODS: Seventy-five culprit lesions of 75 patients with acute coronary syndrome(ACS)(n=9) and stable angina(SA)(n=6)(60 men and 15 women; mean age 56+/-10 years) were studied by intravascular ultrasound. Remodeling index(RI) was calculated as culprit lesion vessel area(VA)/proximal reference VA. We defined: 1)compensatory remodeling(CpR) as RI> or =1.1; 2)constrictive remodeling(CsR) as RI< or =0.9; 3)no remodeling(NR) as 0.9 Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Coronary Vessels* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Risk Factors ; Ultrasonography*

BACKGROUND: Intravascular ultrasound(IVUS) provides high resolution cross-sectional images of the vessels and permits the quantiative and qualitative assessment of coronary artery disease. Stent is a figid endovascular lattice that effectively prevents elastic recoil at treated sites, but in-stent restenois is a major limitation. The purpose of thecurrent study is to assess the contribution of neointimal hyperplasia for in-stent restenosis and the distribution and morphological characteristics of neointimal hyperplasia in deployed stents. METHODS: Thirty patients(male 25 & female 5;31 leions) deployed with intracoronary stents underwent intravascular ultrasound imaging at follow-up at least 4 months after stenting ([mean+/-SD] 8.3+/-2.9 months). RESULTS: 1) In-stent restenosis occurered in 15 lesions out of 31 lesions at follow-up coronary angiography. There was no difference in clinical characteristics between the restenotic and the non-restenotic groups. 2) There was no difference in angiographic profiles between two groups. Deployed stents were as follows ; 16 Palmaz-Schatz(P-S) stents, 12 Gianturco-Roubin(G-R) stents, 2 Cordis stents, and I Microstent II. Average diameter of stents in the restenotic and the non-restenotic groups were 3.07+/-0.26mm and 3.16+/-0.30mm, respectively(p=0.38). 3) There was no difference of stent cross-sectional areas(CSA) between the non-restenotic and the restenotic groups(p=0.476), but luminal CSA of the restenotic group was significantly smaller than that of the non-restenotic group(p=0.006). 4) In the restenotic group, there were no differences of the maximal and the minimal diameters of stents, and the mean CSAs of stents smong proxiaml, mid and distal segments. But the mean CSA of neointimal hyperplasia at the mid segment was larger than that at the distal segment(p<0.05). There was a tendency thatthe mean CSA of neointimal hyperplasia at the mid segment was larger than that at the proximal segment(p=0.187). These findings were the same in the non-restenotic group. 5) In the restenotic group deployed with P-S stents, there were no differences of the maximal and the minimal diameters of stents, and the mean cross-sectional areas(CSA) of stents between each segment. But, the mean CSA of neointimal hyperplasia at the mid segment was larger than that at the distal segment(p<0.005) and there was a tendency that the mean CSA of neointimal hyperplasia at the mid segment was larger than that at the proximal segment(p=0.354). 6) In the morphology of neointimal hyperplasia of the restenotic group, eccentric form(77%) was more common than concentric form(22%). Neointimal hyperplasia occurred in focal or diffuse patterns(7 versus 8 cases). CONCLUSIONS: In-stent restenosis resulted from neointimal hyperplasia which almost mainly occurred eccentrically at the mid segment of stents and in focal or diffuse patterns. Intravascular ultrasound imaging was a useful method for recognition of distribution and morphological characteristics of neointimal hyperplasia at follow-up of deployed stents.
Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyperplasia* ; Phenobarbital ; Stents* ; Ultrasonography*

BACKGROUND: Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) or the presence of carotid plaque has been reported to be related to coronary artery disease (CAD). We evaluated the relationship of the parameters of carotid ultrasonography (US) with the severity of the CAD. METHODS: From November, 2005 to November, 2006, the patients who underwent both coronary angiography and carotid US were enrolled in our study. The severity of CAD was defined by the number of diseased major coronary arteries with a percent diameter stenosis over 50. Four groups including Group 0, which has normal coronary arteries, were compared. The average and maximal IMT and the presence of plaque were used as the parameters of carotid US. RESULTS: The total number of patients was 90. Men had a greater severity of CAD (p=0.001). The average carotid IMTs were increased with the severity of CAD (Group 0, 0.67+/-0.11 mm; Group 1, 0.66+/-0.13 mm; Group 2, 0.68+/-0.08 mm; Group 3, 0.78+/-0.10 mm; p=0.001). The maximal carotid IMTs were also increased (Group 0, 0.88+/-0.16 mm; Group 1, 0.85+/-0.20 mm; Group 2, 0.89+/-0.13 mm; Group 3, 1.06+/-0.17 mm; p=0.000). Carotid plaques were also more frequently present with the increased severity of CAD (p=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Increased carotid IMT and the presence of carotid plaque were related to the severity of CAD. Carotid ultrasonography is useful for evaluating the severity of CAD.
Carotid Intima-Media Thickness ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Humans ; Male ; Ultrasonography*

PURPOSE: Accurate evaluation of side branch (SB) ostium could be critical to the treatment of bifurcation lesions. We compared measured and calculated values of side branch ostial length (SBOL) in coronary bifurcation lesions with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pre-intervention and post-intervention IVUS was performed in 113 patients who underwent stent implantation of bifurcation lesions. For the IVUS longitudinal reconstruction of the bifurcation lesions, SBOL, SB diameter, and the angle between the distal portion of the main vessel (MV) and SB were directly measured. In addition, SBOL was calculated as: SB diameter/sin (angle between distal MV and SB). The relationship between measured and calculated SBOL was then evaluated. RESULTS: The angled between the distal MV and SB were 57.3+/-12.4degrees at pre-intervention and 59.4+/-12.6degrees at post-intervention. The mean measured and calculated SBOL values were 2.91+/-0.86 mm and 3.06+/-0.77 mm at pre-intervention and 2.79+/-0.82 mm and 2.92+/-0.69 mm at post-intervention, respectively. Differences between measured and calculated SBOL were 0.15+/-0.44 mm at pre-intervention and 0.13+/-0.41 mm at post-intervention. We found that calculated SBOL was correlated with measured SBOL (pre-intervention r=0.863, p<0.001; post-intervention r=0.868, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: There was a good correlation between measured and calculated SBOLs of the bifurcation lesions in IVUS longitudinal reconstruction. SBOL in the bifurcation lesions can therefore be estimated using the SB diameter and the angle between distal MV and SB.
Aged ; Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease/surgery/*ultrasonography ; Coronary Vessels/*ultrasonography ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Ultrasonography, Interventional