Yutaka Aoyama

The incidence and clinical significance of non-isolation of the pulmonary vein carina after encircling ipsilateral pulmonary veins isolation for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: a pitfall of the double-Lasso technique

AIMS Encircling ipsilateral pulmonary veins (PVs) isolation (EIPVsI) with the double-Lasso technique has proven to be effective to cure atrial fibrillation (AF). However, in this technique, PV mapping with circular catheters may miss a non-isolation of the PV carina. The purpose of this study was to reveal the incidence and clinical significance of a non-isolation of the PV carina after EIPVsI. METHODS AND RESULTS We studied 81 consecutive paroxysmal AF patients (age 61 ± 12 years, 56 men), in whom EIPVsI was successfully performed in one encircling line with the endpoint of the demonstration of bidirectional conduction block between the PVs and left atrium (LA) with the double-Lasso technique. After a successful EIPVsI, pacing from the PV carina was performed and it captured the LA in 17 (21.0%) patients. During a mean follow-up period of 19 ± 13 months, AF recurred in 13 (16.0%) patients. A multivariate Cox proportional analysis revealed that a non-isolation of the PV carina after the EIPVsI was a significant predictor (hazard ratio = 3.91, 95% confidence interval = 1.13-14.16, P = 0.03) of AF recurrence. CONCLUSIONS Pulmonary vein mapping with the double-Lasso technique did miss the non-isolation of the PV carina after a successful EIPVsI, which was an independent predictor of AF recurrence after the EIPVsI. Pacing from the PV carina may be required to confirm the electrical isolation of the PV carina after EIPVsI with the double-Lasso technique.

Wnt11 gene therapy with adeno-associated virus 9 improves the survival of mice with myocarditis induced by coxsackievirus B3 through the suppression of the inflammatory reaction

The wnt signaling pathway plays important roles in development and in many diseases. Recently several reports suggest that non-canonical Wnt proteins contribute to the inflammatory response in adult animals. However, the effects of Wnt proteins on virus-induced myocarditis have not been explored. Here, we investigated the effect of Wnt11 protein in a model of myocarditis induced by coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) using recombinant adeno-associated virus 9 (rAAV9). The effect of Wnt11 gene therapy on a CVB3-induced myocarditis model was examined using male BALB/c mice. Mice received a single intravenous injection of either rAAV9-Wnt11 or rAAV9-LacZ 2 weeks before intraperitoneal administration of CVB3. Intravenous injection of the rAAV9 vector resulted in efficient, durable, and relatively cardiac-specific transgene expression. Survival was significantly greater among rAAV9-Wnt11 treated mice than among mice treated with rAAV9-LacZ (87.5% vs. 54.1%, P < 0.05). Wnt11 expression also reduced the infiltration of inflammatory cells, necrosis of the myocardium, and suppressed the mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines. This is the first report to show that Wnt11 expression improves the survival of mice with CVB3-induced myocarditis. AAV9-mediated Wnt11 gene therapy produces beneficial effects on cardiac function and increases the survival of mice with CVB3-induced myocarditis through the suppression of both infiltration of inflammatory cells and gene expression of inflammatory cytokines.

Impact of chronic kidney disease on a re-percutaneous coronary intervention for sirolimus-eluting stent restenosis.

ObjectivesRecurrent in-stent restenosis remains an important clinical issue after a percutaneous coronary intervention even after treatment with a sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) especially in patients with chronic kidney disease. We evaluated the impact of renal insufficiency on the clinical and angiographic outcomes after treatment for SES restenosis. Methods and resultsA total of 74 patients with 76 lesions underwent subsequent revascularization with a drug-eluting stent for SES restenosis. Patients were classified into three groups: group 1 included 29 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate more than 60 ml/min/1.73 m2; group 2 included 27 patients with lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (<60 ml/min/1.73 m2) without hemodialysis (HD) dependence; and group 3 included 18 patients on HD. Clinical and angiographic follow-up was carried out at 8 months. Late lumen loss at the 8-month follow-up angiography showed progressive increases from group 1 to 2 to 3 (group 1: 0.36±0.39 mm, group 2: 1.11±0.61 mm, group 3: 1.30±0.85 mm, P<0.001). Similarly, compared with group 1, groups 2 and 3 had significantly higher rates of major adverse cardiac events (6.9, 37.0, and 38.9%, respectively, P=0.001), primarily because of a high frequency of target lesion revascularization (8.0, 34.8, and 33.3%, respectively, P=0.019). ConclusionNon-HD-dependent chronic kidney disease patients had increased neointimal growth in the follow-up phase after percutaneous coronary intervention, with a drug-eluting stent for SES restenosis almost equivalent to patients on HD, resulting in higher rates of recurrent restenosis than patients with preserved renal function.

Optical coherence tomography images of a coronary artery aneurysm in an infarct-related artery 6 months after bare-metal stent implantation.

A 62-year-old man with hypertension and dyslipidemia underwent successful primary percutaneous coronary intervention with thrombus aspiration and bare-metal stent (3.5 × 13 mm) (Liberte, Boston Scientific, Natick, Massachusetts) implantation (12 atm) at proximal left anterior descending coronary

Renin–angiotensin system inhibitors can suppress atrial fibrillation recurrence after encircling ipsilateral pulmonary vein isolation in patients with a non-dilated left atrium

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the effects of renin–angiotensin system inhibitors (RASIs) after encircling ipsilateral pulmonary veins isolation (EIPVsI) for atrial fibrillation (AF) differed between patients with non-dilated and dilated left atria. Materials and methods: We retrospectively studied 292 consecutive patients (mean age=61±11 years, 75% males) who underwent successful EIPVsI for paroxysmal or persistent AF. RASIs’ effects were compared between the patients with a non-dilated left atrium of <40 mm (n=178) and dilated left atrium of ≥40 mm (n=114). Results: During a mean follow-up period of 18.9±12.7 months, AF recurred in 38 (21.4%) and 45 (39.5%) patients with non-dilated and dilated left atria, respectively. A multivariate Cox proportional analysis revealed that treatment with RASIs (hazard ratio (HR) 0.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) =0.13–0.66, p=0.003), the duration of AF (HR 1.08/year, 95% CI=1.01–1.16, p=0.03), a history of hypertension (HR 2.86, 95% CI=1.21–6.85, p=0.02) and the left ventricular ejection fraction (HR 0.54/10%↑, 95% CI=0.34–0.87, p=0.01) were associated with AF recurrences in patients with a non-dilated left atrium. On the other hand, only the duration of AF (HR 1.11/year, 95% CI=1.01–1.21, p=0.03) was associated with AF recurrences in those with a dilated LA, and RASIs had no effect on AF recurrences (p=0.65). Conclusions: RASIs suppressed AF recurrences after EIPVsI only in patients with a non-dilated left atrium.

Head-to-head comparison of acute and chronic pulmonary vein stenosis for cryoballoon versus radiofrequency ablation

Cryoballoon (CB) applications to pulmonary veins (PVs) can cause stenosis just as radiofrequency (RF) energy deliveries. The goal of the present study was to clarify whether or not there was any difference in the extent of acute or chronic PV narrowing after PV isolation between the two different energy sources.

Characteristics of in vivo images from an in-stent restenosis lesion of a saphenous vein graft after bare-metal stent implantation: Assessment using optical coherence tomography

Restenosis of saphenous vein grafts (SVG) after bare-metal stent (BMS) implantation remains a clinical problem. Recently, intravascular optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been proposed as a high resolution intravascular imaging modality, and is able to distinguish several components of intracoronary structures. In vivo images of in-stent restenosis (ISR) lesions in an SVG using OCT have not been reported. In this case report, we present the characteristics of in vivo OCT images from an ISR lesion of an SVG after BMS implantation.

A Combined Therapy Using Encircling Pulmonary Vein Isolation and Supplemental Segmental Ostial Isolation for the Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation

Electrical isolation of the pulmonary veins (PV) has become a curative treatment for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Recently, there have been many reports that circumferential PV isolation (CPI) on the atrial side has a better outcome than segmental ostial PV isolation (SOPI). However, reports on the combination of CPI using electoroanatomic mapping and SOPI using a circular mapping catheter have been few. The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of a combined therapy using CPI and supplemental SOPI for the treatment of AF. We performed CPI in 120 patients with drugrefractory AF. In 27 of those patients CPI resulted in a disconnection between the left atrium (LA) and PVs. In the remaining patients, supplemental SOPI completed the LA‐PV disconnection. After an average follow‐up period of 10.4 months, 81.7%, 90.5% and 71.4% of the patients with paroxysmal, persistent and chronic AF, respectively, have been free of AF. In 14.1% of the patients with paroxysmal AF, a greatly reduced frequency and/or duration of the episodes of AF were observed after the ablation. No fatal complications were encountered. The present results suggest that the combination of CPI and supplemental SOPI is efficient and safe for the treatment of AF.