Stenting and balloon angioplasty, along with mechanical thrombectomy, have gained notability as adjunctive treatment options to intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV-tPA) for tandem internal carotid artery (ICA) and middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusions (TIM occlusions). Acute ischemic strokes (AISs) secondary to TIM occlusions are associated with poor patient outcomes primarily due to...

PURPOSE To report a retrospective observational analysis of standard balloon angioplasty (BA) vs. paclitaxel-coated balloon angioplasty (PCBA) for symptomatic central vein restenoses in patients with impaired native hemodialysis fistulas. METHODS A retrospective review was conducted of 27 consecutive patients (15 men; mean age 66 ± 13.8 years, range 39-90) with 32 central vein stenoses (CVS; ...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the release of chemoattractants after myocardial ischaemia during balloon angioplasty. DESIGN Sampling of femoral arterial and coronary sinus blood before and immediately after the first balloon inflation during angioplasty. In a study group of 16 patients the balloon was kept expanded for two minutes, whereas in a control group of eight patients the first balloon inf...

Background The major morbidity of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty is acute thrombosis and restenosis of the dilated lesion. Platelet-thrombus deposition occurs within minutes after injury, is primarily mediated by thrombin, causes acute occlusion, and contributes to late restenosis. Experimentally, specific thrombin inhibitors have prevented mural thrombosis. However, local thera...

OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between symptom-onset-to-balloon time and one-year mortality in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated by primary angioplasty. BACKGROUND Despite the prognostic implications demonstrated in patients with STEMI treated with thrombolysis, the impact of time-delay on prognosis in patients undergoin...

The cutting balloon (CB) is a specialized device designed to create discrete longitudinal incisions in the atherosclerotic target coronary segment during balloon inflation. Such controlled dilatation theoretically reduces the force needed to dilate an obstructive lesion compared with standard percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). We report a multicenter, randomized trial compar...

This case demonstrates the possibility of using balloon angioplasty in patients with non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome and restenosis previously implanted stents as a measure to temporary stabilize blood flow patient’s condition for preoperative preparation subsequent emergency bypass grafting.