Can Most Calcified Coronary Stenosis Be Optimized With Coronary Intravascular Lithotripsy?

Impact of coronary calcium morphology on intravascular lithotripsy

BACKGROUND

Coronary calcification negatively impacts optimal stenting. Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) is a new calcium modification technique.

AIMS

We aimed to assess the impact of different calcium morphologies on IVL efficacy.

METHODS

This was a prospective, multicentre study (13 tertiary referral centres). Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was performed before and after IVL, and after stenting. OCT-defined calcium morphologies were concentric (mean calcium arc >180°) and eccentric (mean calcium arc ≤180°). The primary outcomes were angiographic success (residual stenosis <20%) and the presence of fracture by OCT in concentric versus eccentric lesions.

RESULTS

Ninety patients were included with a total of 95 lesions: 47 concentric and 48 eccentric. The median number of pulses was 60 (p=1.00). Following IVL, the presence of fracture was not statistically different between groups (79.0% vs 66.0% for concentric vs eccentric; p=0.165). The number of fractures/lesion (4.2±4.4 vs 2.3±2.8; p=0.018) and ≥3 fractures/lesion (57.1% vs 34.0%; p=0.029) were more common in concentric lesions. Angiographic success was numerically but not statistically higher in the concentric group (87.0% vs 76.6%; p=0.196). By OCT, no differences were noted in final minimum lumen area (5.9±2.2 mm2 vs 6.2±2.1 mm2; p=0.570), minimum stent area (5.9±2.2 mm² vs 6.25±2.4 mm2; p=0.483), minimum stent expansion (80.9±16.7% vs 78.2±19.8%), or stent expansion at the maximum calcium site (100.6±24.2% vs 95.8±27.3%) (p>0.05 for all comparisons of concentric vs eccentric, respectively). Calcified nodules were found in 29.5% of lesions; these were predominantly non-eruptive (57%). At the nodule site, dissection was more common than fracture with stent expansion of 103.6±27.2%.

CONCLUSIONS

In this prospective, multicentre study, the effectiveness of IVL followed by stenting was not significantly affected by coronary calcium morphology.

Coronary Intravascular Lithotripsy Effectiveness and Safety in a Real-World Cohort

Background: Coronary artery calcification is a predictor of adverse outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) is a promising tool for the treatment of calcified lesions. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness and safety of IVL. Methods: A single-center observational study of PCI procedure, with assessment of the outcomes of patients undergoing PCI using IVL, was performed. Angiographic procedural success was used as the primary effectiveness endpoint. The primary safety endpoint was defined as a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction and target vessel revascularization within 30 days. Results: A total of 111 patients were included. Indications for PCI spanned the spectrum of chronic (53.2%) and acute coronary syndromes (43%). Lesion preparation before IVL was performed with non-compliant (42%), cutting or OPN (14.4%) balloons and with atherectomy techniques in 11% of procedures. Intravascular imaging was used in 21.6% of procedures. The primary effectiveness endpoint was achieved in 100% and the primary safety endpoint in 3.6% of procedures. Peri-procedural complications were minimal and successfully resolved. Conclusions: IVL was an effective and safe technique for the treatment of calcified coronary lesions. These findings contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting the use of IVL in the management of these challenging scenarios.

In-Stent Restenosis Overview: From Intravascular Imaging to Optimal Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Management

Despite ongoing progress in stent technology and deployment techniques, in-stent restenosis (ISR) still remains a major issue following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and accounts for 10.6% of all interventions in the United States. With the continuous rise in ISR risk factors such as obesity and diabetes, along with an increase in the treatment of complex lesions with high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention (CHIP), a substantial growth in ISR burden is expected. This review aims to provide insight into the mechanisms, classification, and management of ISR, with a focus on exploring innovative approaches to tackle this complication comprehensively, along with a special section addressing the approach to complex calcified lesions.

Review of intravascular lithotripsy for treating coronary, peripheral artery, and valve calcifications

Management of intracoronary calcium (ICC) continues to be a challenge for interventional cardiologists. There have been significant advances in calcium treatment devices. However, there still exists a knowledge gap regarding which devices to choose for the treatment of ICC. The purpose of this manuscript is to review the principles of intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) and clinical data. The technique of IVL will then be compared to alternative calcium treatment devices. Clinical data will be reviewed concerning the treatment of coronary, peripheral artery and valvular calcifications. Controversies to be discussed include how to incorporate IVL into your practice, what is the best approach for treating calcium subtypes, how to approach under-expanded stents, what is the ideal technique for performing IVL, how safe is IVL, whether imaging adds value when performing IVL, and how IVL fits into a treatment program for peripheral arteries and calcified valves.

Lifetime management of severely calcified coronary lesions: the treatment algorithm focused on the shape of calcification

The concept of lifetime management has not been discussed in the field of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), because the durability of drug-eluting stent (DES) is considered to be long enough for most patients. Furthermore, even if in-stent restenosis occurs, the treatment for in-stent restenosis is simple in most cases. On the other hand, the long-term clinical outcomes after DES implantation are worse in severely calcified coronary lesions than in non-calcified lesions. Moreover, the treatment for in-stent calcified restenosis or restenosis due to stent underexpansion is not simple. The concept of lifetime management of severely calcified lesions may be necessary like that of aortic stenosis. Recently, several algorithms have been published in PCI to severely calcified lesions, partly because of the emergence of IVL. These algorithms focus on the selection of cracking and debulking devices for the preparation of stenting. However, the optimal stent expansion does not guarantee the long-term patency, when the target lesion includes calcified nodules. Stent restenosis due to calcified nodules is difficult to manage. In this review article, we propose the algorithm for severely calcified lesions focused on the shape of calcification. We do not need to hesitate stenting when multiple cracks on circumferential calcification are observed by intravascular imaging devices. However, DCB may be an option as final device in some situations, when lifetime management of severely calcified lesions is considered.

Cracking the Left Main Coronary Artery Nodular Calcium With a Scoring Balloon

Nodular calcium in the coronary artery poses a great challenge during coronary intervention. Although rotational atherectomy is the preferred modality of treatment of nodular calcium, we treated the left main coronary artery (LMCA) nodular calcium with a scoring balloon during primary angioplasty of an octogenarian with anterior wall myocardial infarction and EKG suggestive of LMCA occlusion. During primary coronary angioplasty, the scoring balloon alone also sometimes suffices in achieving good angiographic results and thrombolysis in myocardial infarction grade III (TIMI III) flow.