Project description:Percutaneous coronary intervention carries a risk of iatrogenic catheter dissection. A spiral aorto-ostial dissection can completely occlude the vessel and cause ischemia with significant hemodynamic compromise. The mortality from such dissections is approximately 6.5%. The situation can be rescued percutaneously by stenting the true lumen open, but this relies on having a wire within the true lumen. Large dissections often have a small true lumen that is hard to wire and a large false lumen that wires easily. There is a paucity of literature outlining the necessary steps to achieve procedural success. This case series includes 2 spiral dissections and demonstrates a step-by-step approach to manage this situation successfully.
Project description:BackgroundSevere calcifications are a major reason for failures in chronic total coronary occlusions, as they can obstruct the wire passage both in the antegrade and retrograde technique.Case summaryThe proximal occlusion of the left anterior descending artery in a 75-year-old man presented with a completely concentric calcified ring all along the segment proximal to the occlusion. The antegrade wire could not pass the calcified occlusion, and in a retrograde approach via the right posterior descending artery the retrograde wire was not able to enter the lumen from a subintimal position outside of the calcified ring. Intravascular lithoplasty in the proximal segment led to a crack in this ring to enable the same retrograde wire now to pass into the true lumen with then successful conclusion of the case. Intravascular ultrasound demonstrated the modification of the calcified ring and the passage of the wire with only a very short subintimal pathway.DiscussionIntravascular lithoplasty is a new option to modify severely calcified vessel segments to facilitate the reverse controlled antegrade and retrograde tracking approach. In the present case, this helped to avoid a long subintimal pathway and preserved the vessel anatomy.
Project description:PurposePractical challenges are encountered in percutaneous intravascular procedures when applied to markedly angulated branching vessels. Herein, we introduced a folded-loop guidewire remodeling technique-the guidewire-shaping technique-to overcome difficult catheterization.Materials and methodsFirst, the tip of a 0.014-inch micro-guidewire was manually shaped like a pigtail loop. Second, the shaped guidewire was introduced into the microcatheter and was preloaded into the hollow metal introducer for suitability with the microcatheter hub. Gentle rotation of the guidewire after release from the microcatheter can create the preshaped pigtail loop configuration. On pulling back, the loop loosened, the configuration was changed to a small U-shaped tip, and the guidewire tip was easily introduced into the target artery.ResultsBetween December 2019 and January 2022, the described technique was used in 64 patients (male/female, 49/15; mean age, 66.8 ± 9.5 years) for selective arterial embolization, after failed attempts with the conventional selection technique. The technique was successful in 63/64 patients (98%). The indications of embolization include transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, gastrointestinal bleeding, hemoptysis, trauma-induced bleeding, and tumor bleeding.ConclusionThe folded-loop guidewire remodeling technique facilitates the catheterization of markedly angulated branching arteries; when usual catheterization method fails.
Project description:Video 1The technique of straightening the guidewire, looped in the neck of the gallbladder because of segmental adenomyomatosis, using a balloon catheter during endoscopic transpapillary gallbladder stent placement.
Project description:We herein describe a 49-year-old woman without significant cardiovascular risk factors who was transferred to our hospital with sudden onset of chest pain. The patient was diagnosed with non-ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction, and coronary angiography revealed a dissection at the proximal site of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) extending from the left main trunk (LMT) suggestive of spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD). Because coronary flow was impaired after contrast injection and the patient had chest pain with ST elevation, urgent percutaneous coronary intervention was performed. The first guide wire was initially introduced from the LMT to the distal LAD, but intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging revealed that the guide wire had passed through the true lumen of the left coronary artery ostium, false lumen at the ostium of the left circumflex artery, and true lumen of the distal LAD. We then reinserted another guide wire using an IVUS-guided rewiring technique from the true lumen of the LMT to the distal LAD. Finally, a drug-eluting stent was deployed to cover the dissected segment, and final coronary angiography revealed acceptable results with a patent left circumflex artery. This case report highlights that physicians should consider SCAD among the differential diagnoses in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome, particularly in young women. In the present case, IVUS played a pivotal role in not only detecting the arterial dissection but also correctly introducing the guide wire into the true lumen.
Project description:Coronary angiography and angioplasty are relatively safe procedures but not without complications. We report an interesting case of effort angina taken for angioplasty of the LCX and assessment of fractional flow reserve (FFR) for the LAD artery lesion in which the tip of the pressure wire was broken and embolised to the LCX while trying to retrieve it. This is the first case report using a hybrid technique with a slip catheter for the successful retrieval of a fractured FFR wire.
Project description:Endovascular therapy (EVT) was performed in two cases with chronic total occlusion (CTO) of superficial femoral artery. In these cases, angioscopy was deployed in the backyard of the CTO lesion from popliteal artery retrogradely, then the guidewire was advanced from antegrade. When the wire crossed the distal of the CTO lesion, the wire penetration was clearly visualized by the retrograde-angioscopy. Therefore, wire crossing of CTO into the distal true lumen was certainly confirmed, and EVT was successful. <Learning objective: Angioscopy-guided endovascular therapy for chronic total occlusion was useful not only to evaluate thrombus and plaque in situ visually, but also to successfully perform guidewire crossing.>.