Clinical Assessment Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is caused by a number of pathologies affecting the arteries of the lower extremities. The most common cause in industrialized countries is atherosclerosis, but…
Introduction Hypertension is a leading cause of death worldwide, with 13% of all deaths attributed to it in 2004 (World Health Organization, 2009). A prevalence of 29% (1.56 billion) has…
Introduction Coronary blood flow and pressure measurements across a stenotic coronary artery provide information on the ischemic potential of a specific lesion at the time of catheterization. Physiologic assessment of…
Introduction A key principle governing renal artery stenting (RAS) is that clinical benefit will result from relieving a significant renal artery stenosis causing renal hypoperfusion. Published meta-analyses suggest that a…
Introduction Atherosclerotic upper extremity obstructive disease is predominantly secondary to subclavian or innominate artery stenosis (SAS or IAS). The diagnosis is usually suspected when a significant (often ≥15 mm Hg) systolic brachial…
Introduction Prevalence The prevalence of mesenteric arterial stenoses is much more common than is the clinical manifestation of chronic mesenteric ischemia (CMI), likely due to the rich vascular communication among…
Introduction Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a tomographic imaging technology first described for use in ophthalmology that has been adapted for real-time intravascular imaging. The resolution of OCT is significantly…
Introduction A bifurcation coronary lesion is a stenosis involving or adjacent to the origin of an arterial side branch ≥2 mm in diameter. The stenosis can involve the large branch (main…
Introduction Acute myocardial infarction is caused by thrombotic occlusion of a native coronary artery. While partial occlusion usually presents as a non ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), it is expected that…
Introduction Calcified coronary lesions present an important challenge to interventional cardiologists. Because of the rigidity and noncompliance of a heavily calcified coronary artery segment, heavy calcification was a risk factor…
