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Posts Tagged ‘medina classification’

Left main disease : A classification and a simple strategy !

Posted in Cardiology -Interventional -PCI, Cardiology -unresolved questions, Left main disease, tagged , , , , on November 13, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Distribution of Left main disease.

  1. Ostial
  2. Ostio-proximal (Within 1 cm of  origin )
  3. Shaft -Discrete  mid left main
  4. Shaft -Diffuse
  5. Isolated distal shaft( 1.0.0)
  6. Bifurcation ( Medina 1.1.0 -LAD)*
  7. Bifurcation (Median 1.1.0-LCX)
  8. Bifurcation ( Median 1.1.1)*
  9. Trifurcation ( With ramus )

* These three locations account for nearly 75% of all left main lesions.

left main disease coronary angiogram

We know atherosclerosis is  a branch point disease .Normal left main measures 1 mm to 20mm.The shorter the left main lesser is the the incidence of LMD. Short left main can not engage the atherosclerosis much (No left main = No left main disease ) However ,very short left mains  may increase ostial lesions .

  1. The commonest left main lesion is distal left main with one of the branch involvement (1.1.0.LAD is more common )
  2. Least common entity is discrete mid shaft lesion.

Simple strategy.

First dictum : All complex looking LMDs should be referred to a good  surgeon.

Final dictum : Remember medical management for left main disease is still an accepted strategy in stable , non flow limiting situations .

Interventional  Cardiologists  feel they have the exclusive rights   to indulge between these two  spectrum of LMD .May be true! But extreme caution is required as we are playing  our game in the most critical  coronary high way .

Some suggestions and thoughts.

  • 50 % diameter stenosis is significant. But significance does not mean we should tackle the lesion by aggression.
  • Symptomatic flow limiting lesion only to be intervened . (Flow limiting means both angiographic and a stress test .FFR <.8 is also an index for flow limiting .Symptom means Angina on exertion )
  • IVUS, OCT, FFR,NIR ,SYNTAX  are not path breaking tools .They essentially  add  more glamor  to left main disease than anything .
  • Most bifurcation LMDs are  managed by single stent with stent jailing the major side branch (Yes side branch can be LCX !)
  • However ,two stent strategies is not banished .It can be vastly  superior in some selected cases .(Especially with huge plaque load at carina )But needs expertise .
  • In very small vessels two stent strategies are risky .

Reference (2012 update)

left main disease coroanry angiogram management Fajadet

PRECOMBAT left main disease south korea everolimus
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Bifurcation angle is what ?

Posted in Cardiology -Interventional -PCI, cardiology -Therapeutics, cardiology- coronary care, cath lab tips and tricks, tagged , , , , on April 7, 2013| Leave a Comment »

bifurcation angle

  • At any branch point three angles are possible .True bifurcation angle is formed between LAD and LCX .
  • The angle between LM and LAD or LM and LCX can also be important in specific situations ,especially when we encounter short left mains and Medina 1,1,0 lesions .
  • Major bifurcation angle can  occur in mid  segments  as well ,  between LAD / major Diagonal  , LCX and OM.
  • Logic would tell us the  left main  bifurcation  angle is relatively fixed by the anatomical AV and IV grooves. Still early course of LAD and LCX can be out of grooves.
  • Further ,the bifurcation angle is imparted some amount of dynamism by cardiac cycle . It can vary between 80 -120 degrees (LAD/LCX).
  • Most importantly various  angiographic views can alter the true angle (by illusion ) in dramatic fashion . RAO caudal view appear ideal to measure it. (LAO caudal make every bifurcation angle obtuse !)
  • Acute angled bifurcations are prone for stent related mechanical issues both during deployment and in the long term outcome . (When two stent technique is used) This is because ,  acute  angled bifurcations has a tendency to drift the carina , and  encroach  the lumen  which can create new  turbulence . Of course final kissing balloon is expected to reduce this hemodynamic side effect at least on paper !

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Kissing balloon kisses what ?

Posted in Cardiology - Clinical, Cardiology -Interventional -PCI, tagged , , , on April 29, 2012| 1 Comment »

Kissing balloon is the standard technique used to tackle   branch vessel stenosis . When a vessel branches out and both branches has a lesion,  single balloon can not dilate a lesion optimally . This  is  because , the side branch  not only shares a common ostial tissue but also  shares  plaque material within the walls of main and side  vessel . Dilating one vessel alone could result in unpredictable plaque shift.

Carina is the most important anatomic structure in a bifurcation zone . It acts like a grade separator. Diverting and deflecting blood flow .The  length and angle of this grade separator determine the ostial  shape as well . A right angled side branch will have  a circular ostium .An acute-angled branch  will have oval orifice .  The plaque burden and distributions at this point becomes vital for many reasons.

When we do PCI this carinal area should be  optimally pressed and plastied  and of course covered well with the metal struts.The  simultaneous kissing with two balloons ,  one in main vessel another in side branch will reduce many of the issues . This area is a weak link for interventional cardiologists. It needs lots of efforts to protect the side vessel.

When do we do kissing balloon ?

Two broad categories.

  • Pre-dilatation and preparing a lesion ( Not routine  )
  • Post dilatation is more often done .

Look closely the layers of contention in the carinal zone. Lesion not depicted .

Kissing interface : When the balloons kiss  what lies  in between ?

  1. Simple  Balloon to Balloon Kissing with nothing intervening(Proximal to branch point )
  2. Balloon- Single layer of Stent-balloon kissing
  3. Carinal  Kissing -Balloon -Two layers of Carinal tissue -one layer of Stent -Balloon Kissing ( See above image )
  4. Twin stent kissing

When do  balloons refuse to Kiss ?

When there is a hard interface between the vessels like a severely  calcified intima /Adventia .

Eccentric /overhanging  lesions intervening.

Incomplete kiss

It need to be emphasized balloons come  into contact easily in  acute-angled lesions.

In right  angled lesions the balloons come to contact only in the proximal part.

Definite indications  for  kissing ?

Kissing is not without complications . While two guide wires are placed in all  bifurcation lesions  , kissing is  not necessary in many  lesions  .Of course it is a must in all true bifurcation lesions (Medina 111 , 011, 101, )  It may not be required in  1,0,0 if carina is away from lesion.

*Kissing can rarely aggravate the same issue which is supposed to prevent  ie plaque shift .This is due to differential pressure transmission by two balloons.

Is there a role for  twin balloon POBA  without any stenting ?

Most cardiologists would not believe  in POBA anyore (For wrong reasons though ! )

A distal RCA with a PDA ostial branch lesion could be tackled with twin balloon POBA.

Which  balloon is to be used?

It depends on whether we use the technique  as POBA, single stent or double stent technique. Non compliant balloons are  ideal  as it exerts   more pressure on the vessel wall .

Kissing   at  what  pressure ?

The pressure used is often between 8-14 ATM.

Experts may use differential pressure inflation depending on the lesion characters.

Which  is the Most complex form of kissing ?  

Two stents, two balloons . Here the interface contains two metal layers . At carnia the two metals engulf   two layers of  tissue as well .

Final message

Bifurcation lesions  are being  conquered with more success in recent years.

The techniques have refined. Stent designs and drug eluting stents  are  helping us in many ways.

We have learnt  from our  mistakes and accepted the limitations.

Wisdom  prevails now , there is a universal consensus  for less  metal in the notorious  carinal  area.

Still, ignorance  remains*  as  a major  guiding force   . . . when  we  navigate  the difficult atheromatous terrains  in  live human  coronary arteries !

*With due respects to IVUS, OCT and FFR .

**Forward looking IVUS, and camera tipped guidewires may change the scenerio.

 

Further reading

What-is-the-simple-approach-to-bifurcation-pci ?


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Tackling ostial LAD lesions : A new technique

Posted in Cardiology -Interventional -PCI, Cardiology-Coronary artery disese, tagged , , , , , on June 23, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Bifurcation lesions and ostial lesions  continue to  challenge the expertise of   interventional cardiologists.

Variety of techniques have been described. Geo positioning of a ostial lesions ,  exactly on the rim of ostium  is required  . This is very difficult in  many patients  , as stent migration either into side branch or protrusion into the main branch is common. Both reduce  optimal  PCI outcome  .

Here is a innovative  technique   described  first by  Szab0 in 2005 TCT conference .

Highlights of the technique

  • It is a twin guide  wire technique.
  • The Circumflex guide  wire  is threaded over the most proximal strut  of  balloon mounted  LAD stent .
  • The guidewire makes sure the LAD stent move beyond the LAD ostium .
  • Of course some technical limitation is  there, this seems to be a good option at least in some deserving  LAD ostial or LCX ostial lesions

Technical hitch

The balloon and stent is to be manhandled prior to deployment.  We are little awry to do it

The review article in the journal  Eurointervention

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