OBJECTIVE

To determine the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) thickness and other FAZ measurements in eyes of healthy Filipino adults aged 20-49 years.

This single-center, cross-sectional, observational study evaluated 186 subjects (372 eyes) of Filipino adults 20 to 49 years of age. Using Angioplex®, the automated software of the optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) machine, the FAZ area, perimeter, circularity, vascular density, and perfusion in the superficial FAZ were recognized. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 23. The mean and standard deviation of the values of superficial capillary free zone measurements were calculated.

The mean FAZ area was 0.297 ± 0.112 mm2, the mean circularity was 0.667 ± 0.080, and the mean perimeter was 2.316 ± 0.80 mm. These parameters were all larger in the female population (p CONCLUSIONS

In eyes of healthy Filipino adults aged 20-49 years, females exhibited larger FAZ area, higher circularity, and lower CMT, compared to males. Additionally, females displayed lower central vessel density and perfusion. While FAZ area and perimeter remained stable with age, circularity decreased, and CMT increased.

Humans ; Coronary Artery Disease/surgery* ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Heart ; Treatment Outcome ; Coronary Angiography

OBJECTIVE: To explore the feasibility of using indocyanine green angiography in mapping the superficial temporal vessels and assisting design and harvesting of the superficial temporal artery based forehead flap. METHODS: A clinical data of 14 patients with facial soft tissue defects repaired with superficial temporal artery based forehead flaps between October 2015 and November 2022 was retrospectively analyzed. There were 9 males and 5 females with a median age of 9.5 years (range, 3-38 years). The forehead flaps were used to reconstruct facial soft tissue defects following excision of facial scar (8 cases) or congenital melanocyte nevus (6 cases). The size of defects ranged from 3 cm×2 cm to 24 cm×9 cm. Before operation, the indocyanine green angiography was used to map the superficial temporal artery and vein, and to analyze the relationship of the arteries and veins. The forehead flaps with unilateral superficial temporal fascia as the pedicle was transferred to repair the small facial defect in 2 cases. The facial pedicle contained the frontal branch of the superficial temporal artery and 2 cm of the superficial temporal fascia around the vessel, and the tiny accompanying vein of the frontal branch of the superficial temporal artery was used as the outflow of the flap. The forehead flaps with the skin pedicle including bilateral or unilateral superficial temporal fascia and the overlying skin was pre-expanded and transferred to repair the large facial defect in 12 cases. The skin pedicle contained the frontal branch of superficial temporal artery and one of main branches of superficial temporal vein. Among the 12 cases, the frontal branch of superficial temporal vein was used as the outflow in 4 cases, and the parietal branch was used as the outflow in 8 cases. The size of the flaps ranged from 3 cm×2 cm to 30 cm×13 cm. The skin pedicles were divided at 3 weeks after the flap transfer. RESULTS: Indocyanine green angiography could clearly showed the course and branching of the superficial temporal artery and vein. Individual differences existed in the location where the frontal branch of the superficial temporal artery entered the forehead. The superficial temporal vein had great variability and did not follow the artery. One patient had expander-related complication, which resulted in 3-cm flap necrosis. The necrotic tissue was debrided and repaired with skin grafting. The other flaps totally survived and the incisions healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 2-24 months, with a median of 11.5 months. The color, texture, and thickness of the flaps matched well with those of recipient sites. Hypertrophic scar was not observed in recipient or donor site. All patients were satisfied with the reconstructive outcomes. CONCLUSION Indocyanine green angiography can clearly visualize the course and the branches of the superficial temporal arteries and veins, which can help surgeons understand the position, distribution, and concomitant relationship of the superficial temporal vessels, and make a rational surgical plan of the forehead flap.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Child, Preschool ; Child ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; Adult ; Temporal Arteries/surgery* ; Indocyanine Green ; Forehead/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Skin Transplantation ; Angiography ; Soft Tissue Injuries/surgery* ; Perforator Flap/blood supply* ; Treatment Outcome

Humans ; Chronic Disease ; Consensus ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Occlusion ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/methods* ; Treatment Outcome ; Vascular Diseases ; China

Objective: To compare the efficacy of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and coronary angiography guided drug eluting stent (DES) implantation for the treatment of left main coronary artery (LMCA) lesions. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCT) and observational studies, which compared IVUS with coronary angiography guided DES implantation for the treatment of LMCA lesions published before August 2021 were searched in PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library databases. Baseline data, interventional procedures and endpoint events of each study were collected. The primary endpoint was major cardiovascular adverse events (MACE), and the secondary endpoints were all-cause death, cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI), target lesion revascularization (TLR) and target vessel revascularization (TVR). The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) and the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias tool were used to evaluate the quality of the included studies. Results: Nine studies were included, including 3 RCT and 6 observational studies, with a total of 5 527 cases of LMCA. All the 6 observational studies had NOS scores≥6, and the 3 RCT had a low risk of overall bias. The results of meta-analysis showed that compared with coronary angiography guided group, MACE rate (OR=0.55, 95%CI 0.47-0.66, P<0.001), all-cause death (OR=0.56, 95%CI 0.43-0.74, P<0.001), cardiac death (OR=0.43, 95%CI 0.30-0.61, P<0.001), MI (OR=0.64, 95%CI 0.52-0.79, P<0.001), TLR (OR=0.49, 95%CI 0.28-0.86, P=0.013) and TVR (OR=0.77, 95%CI 0.60-0.98, P=0.037) were all significantly lower in the IVUS guided group. Conclusions: Compared with angiography guided, IVUS guided PCI with DES implantation in LMCA lesions could significantly reduce the risk of MACE, death, MI, TLR and TVR. IVUS is thus superior to coronary angiography for guiding PCI treatment among patients with LMCA.
Humans ; Coronary Artery Disease/complications* ; Coronary Angiography ; Drug-Eluting Stents/adverse effects* ; Treatment Outcome ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/methods* ; Ultrasonography, Interventional/methods* ; Risk Factors ; Myocardial Infarction/etiology*

Humans ; Coronary Artery Disease/therapy* ; Consensus ; Tomography, Optical Coherence/methods* ; East Asian People ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Vessels/diagnostic imaging* ; Ultrasonography, Interventional/methods*

Objective: To evaluate the protective effect of jailed balloon technique on side branch (SB) ostium using three-dimensional optical coherence tomography(OCT). Methods: This is a retrospective study. Consecutive coronary disease patients with coronary artery bifurcation lesions who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and completed pre-and post-procedural OCT examinations at the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital from September 2019 to March 2022 were enrolled. Patients were divided into the jailed balloon technique group and the unprotected group according to the options applied for the SB. The SB ostium area difference was calculated from OCT images (SB ostium area difference=post-PCI SB ostium area-pre-PCI SB ostium area). The SB ostium area differences were compared between the two groups and compared further in the subgroup of true bifurcation lesions and non-true bifurcation lesions. In the jailed balloon group, the SB ostium area difference was compared between the active jailed balloon technique and the conventional jailed balloon technique, between the jailed balloon>2.0 mm diameter and the jailed balloon≤2.0 mm diameter, and between the higher balloon pressure (>4 atm, 1 atm=101.325 kPa) and the lower balloon pressure (≤4 atm). Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to explore the correlation between the technical parameters of the jailed balloon technique and the SB protection effect. Results: A total of 176 patients with 236 bifurcation lesions were enrolled, aged (60.7±9.3) years, and there were 128 male patients (72.7%). There were 67 patients in the jailed balloon technique group with 71 bifurcation lesions and 123 patients in the unprotected group with 165 bifurcation lesions. Fourteen patients had 2 to 3 lesions, which were treated in different ways, so they appeared in the unprotected group and the jailed balloon technique group at the same time. The area difference in SB ostium was greater in the jailed balloon group than in the unprotected group (0.07 (-0.43, 1.05)mm² vs.-0.33 (-0.83, 0.26)mm², P<0.001), and the results were consistent in the true bifurcation lesion subgroup (0.29 (-0.35, 0.96)mm² vs.-0.26 (-0.64, 0.29)mm², P=0.004), while the difference between the two groups in the non-true bifurcation lesion subgroup was not statistically significant (P=0.136). In the jailed balloon technique group, the SB ostium area difference was greater in patients treated with the active jailed balloon technique than in those treated with the conventional jailed balloon technique ((0.43±1.36)mm² vs. (-0.22±0.52)mm², P=0.013). The difference in SB ostium area was greater in those using>2.0 mm diameter jailed balloons than in those using≤2.0 mm diameter jailed balloons (0.25 (-0.51, 1.31) mm² vs.-0.01 (-0.45, 0.63) mm², P=0.020), while SB ostium area difference was similar between those endowed with higher balloon pressure (>4 atm) compared to those with lower balloon pressure (≤4 atm) (P=0.731). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that there was a positive correlation between jailed balloon diameter and SB ostium area difference (r=0.344, P=0.019). Conclusions: The jailed balloon technique significantly protects SB ostium, especially in patients with true bifurcation lesions. The active jailed balloon technique and larger diameter balloons may provide more protection to the SB.
Humans ; Male ; Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary/methods* ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Tomography, Optical Coherence/methods* ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Stents ; Coronary Artery Disease/therapy* ; Coronary Vessels/pathology* ; Coronary Angiography

Objective: To analyze the risk factors of coronary artery occlusion in female patients with ischemic angina pectoris. Methods: Clinical data of 1 600 patients (666 females and 934 males) who underwent coronary angiography from January 2013 to December 2015 due to angina pectoris in 6 major coronary intervention centers in China were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical characteristics were compared between the female and male groups, and between the non-obstructive coronary artery disease (INOCA) and ischemic obstructive coronary artery disease (IOCA) subgroups of female subjects with angina pectoris. The risk factors related to the degree of coronary artery occlusion in female patients were analyzed. Results: In the enrolled patients who underwent coronary angiography for angina pectoris, female group was older than the male group, and the proportion of patients with hypertension, diabetes and ischemia accompanied by IOCA was significantly higher than that of the male group (P<0.05). Univariate analysis showed that age≥65 years, hypertension, diabetes, and typical angina symptoms were associated with an increased risk of IOCA in female patients with angina pectoris. Multivariate regression analysis showed that age≥65 years old (OR=1.784, 95%CI: 1.146-2.776, P=0.010), hypertension (OR=1.782, 95%CI: 1.201-2.644, P=0.004) and typical angina symptoms (OR=1.642, 95%CI: 1.127-2.393, P=0.010) were independent risk factors for female patients with angina pectoris diagnosed as IOCA. The correlation analysis between the number of risk factors and the type of coronary artery disease obstruction showed that the incidence of INOCA decreased significantly with the increase of the number of risk factors, from 45.5% to 14.2%. The incidence of IOCA increased significantly with the number of risk factors, from 54.5% to 85.8% (P for trend<0.001). Conclusion: The incidence of INOCA in female patients with angina pectoris suspected of coronary heart disease is higher than that of male. The incidence of IOCA increased significantly, and the incidence of INOCA decreased significantly in proportion to the increase of the number of combined risk factors.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Aged ; Coronary Artery Disease/complications* ; Retrospective Studies ; Angina Pectoris/epidemiology* ; Risk Factors ; Coronary Angiography ; Hypertension/complications* ; Coronary Occlusion/complications* ; Ischemia/complications*

Radial Artery ; Coronary Angiography

Objective: To explore the preoperative whole perforator evaluation and intraoperative eccentric design of anterolateral thigh flap (ALTF) based on superficial fascial perforators by modified computed tomography angiography (CTA), and the clinical effects were observed. Methods: A prospective observational study was adopted. Twelve patients with oral and maxillofacial tumors and 10 patients with open injury of the upper limb with large soft tissue defects were hospitalized in the Department of Hand & Microsurgery and Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery of Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University from January 2021 to July 2022, with 12 males and 10 females, aged from 33 to 75 years, an average age of 56.6 years. The wounds of the patients with oral and maxillofacial tumors were reconstructed by ALTF after the extensive tumor resection and radical cervical lymph node dissection in the same stage; the wounds of the patients with skin and soft tissue defect on the upper limb were covered by ALTF in stage Ⅱ after debridement in stage Ⅰ. After debridement, the area of wound was 3.5 cm×3.5 cm-25.0 cm×10.0 cm and the area of the required flap area was 4.0 cm×4.0 cm-23.0 cm×13.0 cm. Modified CTA scan was performed on the donor site of ALTF before the operation, with the parameters of modified CTA being set to mainly reduce the tube voltage and tube current, and increase the contrast dose and the dual phase scan. The acquired image data were sent to GE AW 4.7 workstation and adopted the volume reconstruction function for visual reconstruction and evaluation of the whole perforator. The information of perforator and source artery was marked on the body surface before operation according to the above evaluation. During the operation, an eccentric flap centered on the visible superficial fascia whole perforator was designed and cut according to the desired flap area and shape. The donor sites of the flap were repaired by direct sutures or full-thickness skin grafts. The total radiation dose was compared between the modified CTA scan and the traditional CTA scan. The distribution of outlet point of perforator of double thighs, the length and direction of superficial fascia perforators based modified CTA were recorded. The type, number, and origin of the target perforator, distribution of of outlet point of perforator, and the diameter, course, and branch of the source artery observed before the operation were compared with those observed during the operation. The healing of donor site wound and the survival of flaps in recipient site were observed after operation. The texture and appearance of flap, oral and upper limb functions, and the functions of femoral donor sites were followed up. Results: The total radiation dose of modified CTA scan was lower than that of the traditional CTA scan. A total of 48 perforators of double thighs were observed, among which, 31 (64.6%) perforators went outward and downward, 9 (18.8%) perforators went inward and downward, 6 (12.5%) perforators went outward and upward, and 2 (4.2%) perforators went inward and upward, and the average length of superficial fascia perforators was 19.94 mm. The preoperative observed type, number, and source of the perforator, the distribution of the outlet point of the perforator, diameter, course, and branches of the source artery were basically consistent with the intraoperative exploration. The types of 15 septocutaneous (including musculoseptocutaneous) perforators and 10 musculocutaneous perforators observed before the operation was consistent with intraoperative exploration. The distance between the mark of the surface perforator point and the actual exit point of the perforator during operation was (0.38±0.11) mm. All flaps survived without vascular crisis. The donor site wounds of 5 cases of skin grafting and 17 cases of direct suturing wounds healed well. The postoperative follow-up was 2 months to 1 year, with an average of 8.2 months, the flaps were soft and slightly bloated; the function of diet and mouth closing was accessible in patients with oral and maxillofacial tumors, the speech function was mildly impaired in patients with tongue cancer, but they could complete basic oral communication; the wrist and elbow joints and forearm rotation function were not significantly limited in patients with upper limb soft tissue injuries; there was no obvious tightness in the donor sites, and the function of the hip and knee joints was not limited. Conclusions: The whole perforator and even the subcutaneous perforator of the donor site of ALTF can be evaluated by modified CTA, and the flap can be used in oral or maxillofacial reconstruction and repair of skin and soft tissue defects of upper limbs to achieve good results. By clarifying the type, number, and source of the perforator, the distribution of the outlet point of the perforator, diameter, course, and branches of the source artery before the operation, the eccentric design of the ALTF based on the superficial fascia perforator was realized. This study has strong guiding value.
Female ; Male ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Aged ; Thigh ; Computed Tomography Angiography ; Prospective Studies ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed