Project description:BackgroundIn recent years, the retrograde approach has become a common practice in the treatment of chronic total occlusion (CTO) of coronary ostium which is arising abnormally and has an ambiguous proximal cap. In this case report, we report a case of retrograde percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) done successfully on an abnormally originating artery which was guideliner assisted. Case Presentation. A 65-year-old gentleman with a history of hypertension, diabetes, and PCI presented to us with angina. Physical examination, electrocardiography (ECG), and echocardiography were done. Coronary angiography (CAG) revealed a normal left anterior descending artery (LAD), an anomalous circumflex (CX) artery arising from the right cusp. The abnormal CX had an implanted stent from which the abnormal right coronary artery (RCA) was arising and had a CTO. It also revealed the retrograde filling of distal RCA through grade 2 Werner collateral channels (CCs) from the LAD, a long CTO segment with a distal cap at the bifurcation. PCI of an RCA-CTO was scheduled utilizing a primary retrograde strategy, since antegrade ostium was abnormal in origin, and the patient was previously stented across the origin. The retrograde wire was externalized, and the procedure was completed with 3 overlapping drug-eluting stents (DESs). We used a guideliner which also assisted in the capture of retrograde corsair during the retrograde procedure of CTO [assisted reverse controlled antegrade and retrograde tracking (CART)]. These measures helped us to complete the CTO intervention successfully.ConclusionThe antegrade crossing is the most common approach to CTOs. However, it is sometimes difficult to penetrate the proximal hard ambiguous cap with guidewires, especially in the case of CTOs of anomalous coronary arteries because of a lack of support. Herein, we describe an iteration of reverse CART technique using a guide extensor catheter to facilitate externalizing the retrograde wire from false to true lumen.
Project description:New interventional techniques have made transcatheter closure of aortic paravalvular leaks a viable therapeutic option to treat the sequelae of these defects, including congestive heart failure and hemolysis. We report the transcatheter closure of an aortic paravalvular leak via a combined retrograde/antegrade approach. This was necessary because of difficulty in crossing the defect with a sheath from the retrograde approach. This technique might be useful in application to other difficult structural heart interventions. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a treated paravalvular leak around a Mitroflow(®) Aortic Pericardial Heart Valve.
Project description:Evidence comparing ultrasound endoscopy-guided fine-needle biopsy (EUS-FNB) with EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) in deep-seated lymphoma tissue sampling is insufficient. This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of immunohistochemistry (IHC) or flow cytometry (FCM) on specimens obtained from EUS-FNB and EUS-FNA in the diagnosis and staging of deep-seated lymphomas. This real-world, dual-center study prospectively evaluated all eligible specimens from patients who underwent EUS-FNB/FNA over an 8-year period. 53 patients were enrolled, with 23 patients in the EUS-FNB group and 30 patients in the EUS-FNA group. FNB yielded specimens with longer core tissues (0.80 mm [0.55, 1.00] vs. 0.45 mm [0.30, 0.50], p = 0.009) and higher scores of specimen adequacy [4 (3.75, 4.00) vs. 3 (1.00, 4.00), p = 0.025]. Overall analysis revealed that the diagnostic accuracy of IHC based on specimens acquired from EUS-FNB was significantly higher than that of EUS-FNA (91.30% vs. 60.00%, p = 0.013). After controlling confounding factors including lesion size and endoscopists, EUS-FNB with IHC maintained a higher-level diagnostic accuracy compared to EUS-FNA (OR = 1.292 [1.037-1.609], p = 0.023). When FCM was additionally used to analyze the specimen acquired from EUS-FNA, the diagnostic yield was significantly improved (ROC AUC: 0.733 vs. 0.550, p = 0.015), and the AUC of FNB alone or combined with FCM was 0.739 and 0.761. Conclusions: FNB needles generate higher histopathological diagnostic accuracy and specimen quality than FNA for the deep-seated lymphoma. Though the application of FCM significantly improves the diagnostic efficacy of EUS-FNA, FNB was still the preferred diagnostic modality with a shorter procedure time, comparable diagnostic accuracy, and better cost-effectiveness.
Project description:The purpose of this study is to analyze outcomes of combined antegrade-retrograde dilations (CARD). This retrospective study was conducted on 14 patients with a history of head and neck cancer, treated with radiation therapy that was complicated by either complete or near-complete esophageal stenosis. All patients had minimal oral intake and depended on a gastrostomy tube for nutrition. Swallow function before and after CARD was assessed using the Functional Oral Intake Scale, originally developed for stroke patients and applied to head and neck cancer patients. Patients undergoing CARD demonstrated a quantifiable improvement in swallow function (p = 0.007) that persisted at last known follow-up (p = 0.015) but only a minority (23.1%) achieved oral intake sufficient to obviate the need for tube feeds. Complication rates were 24% per procedure or 36% per patient, almost all complications required procedural intervention, and all complications occurred in patients with complete stenosis. Our study suggests further caution when considering CARD, careful patient selection, and close post-operative monitoring.
Project description:Transcatheter electrosurgery is a wire-based technique used to traverse or cut tissue within blood-filled spaces using alternating current delivered by guidewires or catheters. The use of transcatheter electrosurgical techniques in the pediatric population has been limited. We are reporting the first case of retrograde pulmonary vein recanalization using transcatheter electrosurgery. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.).
Project description:Background and Purpose:Angioplasty and stenting of the subclavian artery have been reported with high technical and clinical success rates, low complication rates, and good midterm patency rates. Different antegrade or retrograde endovascular catheter-based approaches are used. Nowadays, endovascular therapy has taken over open surgical techniques in subclavian artery disease. The purpose of this study was to determine safety, efficacy, and midterm clinical and radiological outcome of the endovascular treatment with special focus on the different technical approaches in subclavian artery disease. Materials and Methods:Between 2014 and 2017, 11 patients (10 men, 1 woman) with symptomatic high-grade stenosis (90%-100%) of the subclavian artery were treated with endovascular treatment. Their mean age was 51.3 years (range, 32-61 years). Mean angiographic and clinical follow-up was 22.5 months (range, 5-44 months). Clinical follow-up was performed at hospital discharge and routine follow-up was performed at 1, 3, 12 months, and 6 monthly thereafter. In all 11 patients, a percutaneous approach was used successfully. In eight patients, the lesions were accessed retrogradely through a brachial artery puncture. Results:Acute success rate was 100%. There were no significant peri-procedure complications. At the latest clinical follow-up (mean of 22.5 months), all patients showed a good outcome with a restenosis rate of 18.2% including a patient with Takayasu arteritis. Conclusion:Percutaneous antegrade and retrograde stenting of high-grade subclavian artery stenosis is a viable less invasive alternative to open bypass surgery with good midterm clinical results and patency rates.
Project description:Antegrade crossing is the most common approach to chronic total occlusions (CTOs). However, it is sometimes difficult to penetrate the proximal hard cap with guidewires, especially in the case of CTOs of anomalous coronary arteries because of a lack of support. Herein, we describe a novel, modified reverse controlled antegrade and retrograde subintimal tracking (CART) technique in which the dissection reentry was intentionally created in the proximal segment of the vessel, not within the occluded segment, using retrograde guidewire and the aid of an antegrade balloon. This technique facilitated retrograde crossing of CTOs by avoiding the proximal hard cap and may provide a viable option for patients in which conventional reverse CART is not possible.
Project description:Donor organ shortage is a significant problem in kidney transplantation. Improvement of perfusion techniques can increase the number of available organs. The aim of this study is to investigate the efficiency and safety of retrograde perfusion (RP) of kidney grafts during organ recovery after transplantation in pigs.Ten pigs were divided into two groups, six in the study group for the RP technique and four in the control group for standard antegrade perfusion (AP). The left kidney was removed and perfused by the RP or AP method according to the study group. The perfused left kidney was auto-transplanted to the right groin location. The right kidney was removed and perfused in the same manner and then stored at 4 °C for 24 h prior to histopathological analysis. Data in both groups were observed and recorded.All kidneys perfused by both the RP and AP methods were satisfactory in appearance. All grafts showed diuresis from the first postoperative day onward. On postoperative day 7, the mean serum creatinine (Scr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels were 174 ± 9.7 ìmol/L and 27.7 ± 2.5 mg/dL in the RP group, and they were 168 ± 13.7 ìmol/L and 26.5 ± 4.3 mg/dL, respectively, in the AP group (p = 0.483 for Scr and p = 0.646 for BUN). The mean peak Scr levels in the RP group (570 ìmol/L) and the AP group (530 ìmol/L) were similar. All pigs survived with adequate renal function throughout the study period. There was minimal interstitial and tubular edema, and there was endothelial cell swelling in some specimens before revascularization in both groups. At postoperative day 7, the auto-transplanted kidneys showed normal glomerular and tubular structure with little interstitial edema and inflammatory cell infiltration in the grafts. No differences were identified between the two groups. Under electron microscopy, the tubular epithelial cells, glomeruli, and glomerular capillary endothelium of the grafts appeared normal in both groups after 24 h in cold storage.Kidney grafts in pigs perfused by RP had normal function after transplantation compared with the AP control group. Therefore,retrograde perfusion is potentially an efficient, safe kidney perfusion method for organ recovery.
Project description:Interventional treatment of chronic total occlusions (CTOs) is nowadays counting on a wide span of procedural possibilities, and retrograde approaches are becoming more and more frequent as they warrant high success rates at the cost of a slightly higher incidence of donor vessel damage. Retrograde lesion crossing needs to be followed by procedural conversion to an antegrade approach to dilate and stent the lesion, and new techniques are being proposed to address this issue and achieve a safer recanalization of the vessel. In this context, we propose novel and simple techniques to antegrade guiding catheter engagement by the retrograde wire, enhancing the chances for procedural success.
Project description:Paired FNA and CBX specimens were prospectively collected from 37 breast cancers before any systemic therapy during a biomarker discovery study at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. We identified 293 probe sets overexpressed in core biopsies; these included five highly coexpressed gene clusters (metagenes) corresponding to immune functions and extracellular matrix components. We compared gene expression profiles of pairs of fine-needle (stroma-poor) and core-needle (stroma-rich) biopsies from 37 cancers to identify stroma-associated genes