A 52-year-old former recreational marathon runner with a history of permanent atrial fibrillation was referred to our institution because of fatigue and shortness of breath. His 12-lead ECG indicated atrial fibrillation with incomplete right bundle-branch block and inferolateral T-wave inversions ( Figure 1). The chest x-ray showed an abnormal structure with a circular silhouette at the projection of the right atrium in the anterior-posterior view (Figure 2). Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a vascular tubular structure adjacent to the atrioventricular groove ( Figure 3A and 3B and Movies I and II in the online-only Data Supplement). Subsequently, we performed a coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) using a 256-slice multidetector-row CT (Philips Brilliance iCT, Best, The Netherlands) with a tube voltage of 100 kV and a tube current of 300 mA. Because of the atrial fibrillation (mean heart rate, 57 bpm; range, 45-110 bpm), an arrhythmia detection algorithm was used during the prospective ECG-triggered image acquisition. The CCTA depicted a normal left coronary system with no signs of atherosclerosis. The ostium of the right coronary artery (RCA) was dilated (10×8 mm), and the proximal segment of the vessel formed a giant aneurysm ( Figure 4A and 4B). The location of the aneurysm was noted to be anterior to the right atrium, adjacent to the atrioventricular groove, and its size measured 62×60×86 mm ( Figure 4D-4F). Distal to the aneurysm, the extremely tortuous RCA remained enlarged (12-14 mm) and showed a fistulous communication with the coronary sinus ( Figure 4C). The length of the whole RCA was ≈80 cm along its centerline. Subsequent invasive coronary angiography confirmed the CCTA findings (Movies III and IV in the online-only Data Supplement). Surgery was performed to repair the RCA and to stop the shunt. During the surgical procedure, the aneurysm was resected ( Figure 5A-5C), the RCA was reimplanted into the aorta ( Figure 5D), and the fistula was ligated at the orifice of the coronary sinus. Because of the permanent atrial fibrillation, the maze procedure and left auricle ligation were also performed, but restoration of the sinus rhythm was unsuccessful. The postoperative observation period was uneventful. At the 6-week regular follow-up examination, the patient was asymptomatic with normofrequent atrial fibrillation. Five months after the surgical procedure, the patient presented with cough, night sweats, and low-grade fever, which had persisted over the previous week. The chest x-ray was unremarkable ( Figure 6A). The urgent chest CT examination showed lesions with central low attenuation and ring-like enhancement behind the left ventricle, which raised the possibility of an abscess ( Figure 6B). Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (1.5 T, Philips Achieva, Philips Medical Systems, Best, The Netherlands) demonstrated mildly elevated left and right ventricular volumes with preserved left and right systolic ventricular function (both left ventricular and right ventricular ejection fraction...
Aortic valve replacement can produce dramatic benefit in the setting of symptomatic aortic stenosis. The potential for morbidity and mortality associated with thoracotomy, cardiopulmonary bypass, and aortotomy has fostered a search for alternatives. Early experience with transcatheter endovascular aortic valve implantation demonstrated feasibility and efficacy, but the procedure was difficult to reproduce. However, equipment, techniques, and experience have evolved rapidly. Balloon-expandable and self-expanding prostheses and percutaneous femoral artery and open left ventricular apical access have found favor, each with potential advantages and disadvantages. Procedural success rates and clinical outcomes continue to improve. Current studies suggest that morbidity and mortality rates of percutaneous aortic valve implantations are much better in comparison to conventional surgery in selected high-risk patients. On November 11, 2008, in the Gottsegen György Hungarian Institute of Cardiology we performed the first two successful percutaneous aortic valve implantations in Central and Eastern Europe, following a more than one-year preparation period. After seven days the patients were discharged in very good conditions.
Introduction The role of fractional flow reserve (FFR) measured directly after drug eluting stent (DES) implantation (post-PCI FFR) is not clear in predicting major adverse cardiac events (MACE), and it is not known which clinical parameters affect post-PCI FFR. Aim We aimed to clarify the relationship between post-PCI FFR and clinical parameters, post-PCI FFR and long-term MACE and determine the best post-PCI FFR cut-off in MACE prediction. Method Patients who underwent post-PCI (DES) FFR measurement at our center between March 2009 and January 2021 were included. We examined the relationship between post-PCI FFR and gender, age, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, indication (acute (ACS) vs. chronic coronary syndrome (CCS)), stent diameter, in-stent restenosis vs de novo lesion category, proximal vs. non-proximal lesion location, LAD (vs. non-LAD) location, and pre-PCI FFR. We sought to determine the correlation between post-PCI FFR and target vessel-related MACE (cardiovascular death (CVD), non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), recurrent revascularization (TVR)). Optimal cut-off was determined by ROC curves. Results Post-PCI FFR measurement was performed in 500 coronary arteries of 434 patients. LAD location (0.86 vs. non-LAD 0.91, p<0.001), male gender (0.87 vs. 0.89, p=0.001), younger age (p=0.0215), smaller stent diameter (p=0.0028) and lower pre-PCI FFR (p=0.0006) proved to be independent predictors of lower post-PCI FFR, no other parameter showed a significant correlation with post-PCI FFR. During a median follow-up of 37 months, 24 CVD, 15 MI and 47 TVR occurred. Follow-up was complete in 96.2% of patients. There was a significant inverse correlation between post-PCI FFR and MACE (p<0.001). Diabetes mellitus (p=0.0024) and in-stent restenosis (0.0356) were also independent predictors of MACE. The best post-PCI FFR cut-off for the total patient population, LAD and non-LAD lesions were 0.83 (p<0.0001), 0.83 (p<0.0001), and 0.88 (p=0.0091), respectively. Conclusion LAD location, male gender, younger age, smaller stent diameter and lower pre-PCI FFR value result in lower post-PCI FFR. There is no significant difference between post-PCI FFR measured in ACS vs. CCS. FFR measured after PCI, diabetes mellitus and in-stent restenosis are significant predictors of MACE-free long-term survival. The best post-PCI FFR cut-off to predict MACE was 0.83 for the whole patient population and for LAD and 0.88 for non-LAD lesions. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.
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