Optical coherence tomography-detected MEs are a specific morphological footprint of early-generation SES and are nearly absent in newer-generation ZES and EES. Evaginations appear to be related to vessel injury at baseline; are associated with positive vessel remodelling; and correlate with uncoverage, malapposition, and thrombus at follow-up.

OCT-detected edge dissections which are angiographically silent in the majority of cases are not associated with acute stent thrombosis or restenosis up to one-year follow-up.

Background and ObjectivesThe prognosis and natural history of bradycardia related to drugs such as beta-blockers and non-dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers are not well known.Subjects and MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed 38 consecutive patients (age 69±11, 21 women) with drug-related bradycardia (DRB) between March 2005 and September 2007. A drug-associated etiology for the bradycardia was established based on the medical history and patient response to drug discontinuation. The mean follow-up duration was 18±8 months.ResultsThe initial electrocardiogram (ECG) showed sinus bradycardia (heart rate ≤40/min) in 13 patients, sinus bradycardia with junctional escape beats in 18 patients, and third-degree atrioventricular (AV) block in seven patients. Drug discontinuation was followed by resolution of bradycardia in 60% of patients (n=23). Among them, five (17.8%) patients resumed taking the culprit medication after discharge and none developed bradycardia again. Bradycardia persisted in 10 (26.3%) patients despite drug withdrawal, and a permanent pacemaker was implanted in seven of them. Third-degree AV block, QRS width, and bradycardia requiring temporary transvenous pacing were significantly associated with the bradycardia caused by drugs.ConclusionBeta-blockers were the most common drugs associated with DRB. However, in one quarter of the cases the DRB was not associated with drugs; in these patients permanent pacemaker implantation should be considered.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of gender on the association between epicardial fat thickness (EFT) and circadian blood pressure (BP) changes in patients with recently diagnosed essential hypertension (EH). A total of 441 patients with EH (male/female: 236/205, mean age: 50.7 ± 13.8) and 83 control patients underwent 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring and echocardiography. Obese EH patients had higher circadian BP profile with BP variability, wall thickness, and left ventricular mass than nonobese EH patients and controls (all p's <0.05) without gender differences. EFT was higher in female than in male patients (7.0 ± 2.5 versus 5.9 ± 2.2 mm, p < 0.001) and higher in the obese female EH group (7.5 ± 2.6 mm) than in the control (6.4 ± 2.8 mm) or nonobese EH group (6.7 ± 2.8 mm) among women, whereas EFT did not vary among males (5.9 ± 1.9 versus 6.0 ± 2.7 versus 5.9 ± 2.4 mm, p = 0.937). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the 24-hour mean BP variability was associated with SBP (p = 0.018) and EFT (p = 0.016) in female patients, but not in male patients. The relationships among circadian BP variability, obesity, and EFT were affected by gender in different manners. EFT may be a more valuable parameter in the evaluation of BP severity and obesity in women than in men.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the time-dependent effect of statin treatment and echocardiographic epicardial fat thickness (EFT) on the maintenance of sinus rhythm (SR) in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients after electrical cardioversion (EC). One hundred sixty-three AF patients without previous statin treatment who underwent EC were consecutively enrolled. The maintenance rate of SR after EC (1, 3, 6, and 12 months) as documented by electrocardiogram and EFT were compared between patients with statin treatment (statin group, n = 63) and those without (no statin group, n = 100). There was no significant difference in the maintenance rate of SR between the groups soon after EC (statin group; 85.7 % vs. no statin; 84.8%, p = 0.535), after 1 month (71.0 vs. 59.1%, p = 0.091), and after 3 months (63.2 vs. 50.0%, p = 0.086). However, the maintenance rate of SR was significantly higher in the statin group compared to no statin group (61.8 vs. 42.9%, p = 0.024) after 6 months, and this significant difference persisted up to 12 months of follow up (60.1 vs. 36.4%, p = 0.001). Patients with recurrence showed higher baseline EFT (7.4 ± 2.7 vs. 8.5 ± 3.0 mm, p = 0.014). Multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that EFT, left atrial diameter, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, statin treatment, and dose were the significant contributors to the maintenance of SR for all periods after EC. Statin treatment and low EFT were associated with a higher maintenance rate of SR in AF patients after EC. Significant benefit of statin was realized 6 months after EC, and this benefit was shown to be maintained over time.