Chinese Guideline for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients with Left Main Bifurcation Disease

The coronary left main(LM)artery is characterized by large caliber,length varying from<8 to>15 mm,and 2 large daughter vessels branching from it;it supplies blood to a large area(>75%)of the myocardium.LM bifurcation lesion is defined as the presence of atherosclerosis involving either or both of the 2 daughter vessels.Thus,the optimal strategy of revascularization for diseased LM has been an interesting research topic for a long time.With developments in percutaneous techniques,design,and materials of drug-eluting stents;intravascular imaging;new generation of antiplatelet medications;and particularly recent pooled evidence from randomized clinical trials comparing percutaneous coronary intervention with coronary artery bypass grafting,implantation of a drug-eluting stenting with or without other approved techniques is considered an important therapeutic approach for LM bifurcation lesions.Mirroring the anatomical complexity of the LM,stenting LM bifurcations is technically demanding,and intraprocedural complications can be catastrophic given the large amount of jeopardized myocardium.Therefore,the Chinese Society of Cardiology designed a writing committee with members from 3 working groups(ie,clinical research,intravascular imaging and physiology,and interventional cardiology)for the first time,to write a guideline on percutaneous treatment for LM bifurcation lesions,with view to improve the procedural quality and clinical outcomes.This guideline consists of introduction,anatomical description of the LM tree,risk stratification,strategies of revascularization,antiplatelet strategy,follow-up,and long-term management for patients with LM bifurcation lesions.

Rescue treatment and follow-up intervention of a left main acute myocardial infarction with typical carina shift under 3D optical coherence tomography: A case report

BACKGROUND Coronary intervention for bifurcation lesions is still challenging for interventional cardiologists.Left main(LM)bifurcation lesions have a higher risk due to the vast blood supply in this area and treatment choice is difficult.Ostial compromise of the side branch decreases patient prognosis,and its management is still an issue despite the different strategies and devices available.CASE SUMMARY A 42-year-old male patient was admitted to hospital due to chest pain and syncope.Coronary angiography showed acute LM occlusion.Following thrombus aspiration,a LM bifurcation lesion remained.Coronary angiography was repeated one week later,and at the same time,3D optical coherence tomography(OCT)was carried out to better show the geometry of the bifurcation,which confirmed that the stenosis in the ostial left circumflex artery was caused by a long carina.After assessment of the plaque characteristics and the minimum lumen area,the cross-over strategy,kissing balloon inflation and proximal optimization technique were chosen to treat the bifurcation lesion.A“moving”carina was found twice during the intervention.Good stent apposition and expansion were confirmed by OCT after proximal optimization technique.The three-month follow-up showed good recovery and normal cardiac function.CONCLUSION 3D-OCT can facilitate decision-making for coronary interventions in patients with critical bifurcation lesions.

A Case Summary of the Application of a Drug-eluting Stent Combined with a Drug-Coated Balloon in Left Main Coronary Artery Disease

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of a drug-eluting stent(DES)combined with a drug-coated balloon(DCB)in the treatment of left main coronary artery bifurcation lesions.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of eight patients with left main coronary artery bifurcation lesions treated with a DES combined with a DCB who were admitted to our hospital from July 2016 to July 2017.These eight patients all underwent DES treatment for their left main coronary artery and left anterior descending coronary artery lesions,and DCB treatment at the ostium of the left circumflex artery;six of the patients underwent surgical procedures under the guidance of intravascular ultrasonography.Immediate postoperative angiography was used to evaluate the patency of the diseased vessels,and the restenosis rate at the 6-month follow-up after the operation and the incidence of serious clinical events within 6 months were assessed as well.Results:The use of a DES combined with a DCB in the treatment of left main coronary artery bifurcation lesions had a low restenosis rate(left main coronary artery(8.4±5.3)%,left anterior descending coronary artery(18.2±5.0)%,left circumflex artery(30.5±16.5)%).No serious clinical events occurred in any patients.Conclusion:A DES combined with a DCB is a safe and effective interventional treatment for left main artery coro-nary bifurcation lesions.

Intravascular Ultrasound Classification of Plaque in Angiographic True Bifurcation Lesions of the Left Main Coronary Artery

Background： Accurately, characterizing plaques is critical for selecting the optimal intervention strategy for the left main coronary artery （LMCA） bifurcation. Coronary angiography cannot precisely assess the location or nature of plaques in bifurcation lesions. Few intravascular ultrasound （IVUS） classification scheme has been reported for angiographic imaging of true bifurcation lesions of the unprotected LMCA thus far. In addition, the plaque composition at the bifurcation has not been elucidated. This study aimed to detect plaque composition at LMCA bifurcation lesions by IVUS. Methods： Fifty-eight patients were recruited. The location, concentricity or eccentricity, site of maximum thickness, and composition of plaques of the distal LMCA, ostial left anterior descending （LAD） coronary artery and, left circumflex （LCX） coronary artery were assessed using IVUS and described using illustrative diagrams. Results： True bifurcation lesions of the unprotected LMCA were classified into four types： Type A, with continuous involvement from the distal LMCA to the ostial LAD and the ostial LCX with eccentric plaques; Type B, with concentric plaques at the distal LMCA, eccentric plaques at the ostial LAD, and no plaques at the LCX; Type C, with continuous involvement from the distal LMCA to the ostial LCX, with eccentric plaques, and to the ostial LAD, with eccentric plaques; and Type D, with continuous involvement from the distal LMCA to the ostial LAD, with eccentric plaques, and to the ostial LCX, with concentric plaques. The carina was involved in only 3.5% of the plaques. A total of 51.7% of the plaques at the ostium of the LAD were soft, while 44.8% and 44.6% were fibrous in the distal LMCA and in the ostial LCX, respectively. Conclusions： We classified LMCA true bifurcation lesions into four types. The carina was always free from disease. Plaques at the ostial LAD tended to be soft, whereas those at the ostial LCX and the distal LMCA tended to be fibrous.