Background Lack of stent strut coverage has emerged as a main factor affecting stent performance in terms of restenosis and thrombosis propensity. Patients and methods Two groups of patients were…
Background Treating in-stent restenosis still remains a great challenge for the interventional cardiologist. Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of first-generation zotarolimus-eluting stents (ZES) (Endeavor, Medtronic) in the treatment…
Objectives To evaluate the potential for mitral annular size reduction using a novel device utilizing therapeutic ultrasound (TU). Background Delivering energy at sub-ablative temperatures appears to produce contraction of the…
Background Thrombocytopenia is a common adverse effect of intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation (IABP). However, the clinical implications of IABP-associated thrombocytopenia are unknown. Methods We assessed the incidence and predictors of thrombocytopenia,…
Background Drug-eluting stents (DES) effectively reduce restenosis compared to bare metal stents (BMS). However, late stent thrombosis associated with DES is a major drawback of this device. Intimal plaque composition…
Background Women with coronary artery disease are believed to have a higher risk for adverse outcomes than men after coronary interventions. Many of the assumptions regarding cardiovascular disease in women…
Background The SPIRIT II and SPIRIT III clinical trials compared the XIENCE V (Abbott Vascular, Santa Clara, CA, USA) everolimus-eluting stent (EES) to the TAXUS Express 2 (Boston Scientific, Natick,…
Background Coronary bifurcations remain a challenging lesion subset for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). It is unclear whether intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) guidance can improve PCI results for these lesions. We aimed…
Introduction Retinoic acid (RA), the active form of vitamin A (retinol), acts through specific nuclear receptors inducing expression of specific genes. Retinoid receptors are expressed in vascular smooth muscle cells…
Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the world’s largest drug-eluting stent registry that used the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) to assess changes in angina frequency (AF) and…
