Tohyoh Nihei

Isolated left coronary ostial stenosis as the sole arterial involvement in Takayasu's disease

A 24‐year‐old woman with Takayasus disease developed unstable angina pectoris. Angiographic studies demonstrated an isolated left coronary ostial stenosis without any other systemic arterial involvement. She is unique in that the coronary lesion, which is rarely the major manifestation of Takayasus disease, is the sole arterial involvement of the disease.

Adenosine concentration in great cardiac vein is increased in non- ventricular fibrillation dogs

This study was conducted to clarify the relationship between myocardial endogenous adenosine concentration in the great cardiac vein during ischemia and reperfusion-induced ventricular fibrillation (VF) and the occurrence rate of ischemia and reperfusion-induced VF. Sixty anesthetized mongrel dogs were subjected to 10-min left anterior descending artery occlusion and reperfusion. Blood from the great cardiac vein was sampled for the determination of adenosine and catecholamine concentrations. Hemodynamic parameters (blood pressure, lift ventricular dp/dt, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, and cardiac output) were monitored throughout the experimental period. During coronary occlusion and reperfusion, VF occurred in 25 dogs (VF group). Ventricular fibrillation did not occur in 35 other dogs (non-VF group). Adenosine concentration in the great cardiac vein before the coronary occlusion did not differ between the two groups. However, the adenosine concentration in the great cardiac vein of the non-VF group significantly increased compared with that of the VF group (2 343 vs 65 pmol/ml, P = 0.026) during coronary occlusion and reperfusion. In contrast, hemodynamic parameters did not differ between the two groups. The study results demonstrated that adenosine concentration in the great cardiac vein was higher in the non-VF group than in the VF group, suggesting that myocardial endogenous adenosine may have a role in the suppression of ischemia and reperfusion-induced VF in dogs.