Background-Although the short-term and long-term beneficial effects of early coronary revascularization by primary PTCA or thrombolytic therapy have been established for acute myocardial infarction, thrombolytic therapy Ͼ24 hours after the onset of acute myocardial infarction has not been shown to improve clinical outcome. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of late revascularization by primary PTCA over a 5-year period. Methods and Results-Eighty-three patients with initial Q-wave anterior myocardial infarction Ͼ24 hours after onset were randomized into a PTCA group (nϭ44) and a no-PTCA group (nϭ39). Long-term follow-up was conducted with regard to end points, which included cardiac death, nonfatal recurrence of myocardial infarction, and development of congestive heart failure. Left ventricular ejection fraction and regional wall motion at 6 months after myocardial infarction were similar in the 2 groups. Left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volume indexes were significantly smaller in the PTCA group than in the no-PTCA group (PϽ0.0001). With cardiac events as end points, a 5-year Kaplan-Meier event-free survival analysis revealed that the no-PTCA group had a worse prognosis than the PTCA group (PϽ0.0001). Patency of the infarct-related artery, left ventricular ejection fraction, end-diastolic volume index, and end-systolic volume index were significantly associated with cardiac events by a Cox proportional hazards analysis (hazard ratios 0.120, 0.845, 1.065, and 1.164, respectively). Conclusions-In initial Q-wave anterior myocardial infarction, we conclude that even with late reperfusion, PTCA had beneficial effects on cardiac events over the 5-year period after myocardial infarction, with the prevention of left ventricular dilation after myocardial infarction being a possible mechanism. (Circulation. 1998;98:2377-2382.)

Ultra-early surgical treatment in which associated brain injury is minimized and maximal volume of hematoma is removed shortly after onset with secure hemostasis is expected to be established. We developed a transparent guiding sheath and other surgical instruments for endoscopic surgery and established a novel, ultra-early stage surgical procedure using those instruments. This procedure has the following characteristics: (a) burr hole opening under local anesthesia is possible; (b) a transparent sheath improves the visualization of the surgical field in the parenchyma and the hematoma; (c) free-hand surgery without fixing an endoscope and a sheath to a frame facilitates three-dimensional operation; (d) secure hemostasis by electric coagulation is possible; (e) relatively simple surgical instruments are easy to prepare. We have performed this procedure in 82 patients with intracerebral or intraventricular hemorrhage (44 with putaminal hemorrhage, 12 with thalamic hemorrhage, 8 with subcortical hemorrhage, 8 with cerebellar hemorrhage, 10 with intraventricular hemorrhage). Twenty-four of those patients received our treatment in the ultra-early stage (within 3 hours after onset). The mean duration of surgery was 63 minutes, the mean hematoma reduction rate was 96%, and no peri-operative hemorrhage with deterioration of symptoms and/or signs occurred. Therefore, we believe that endoscopic hematoma evacuation with our surgical procedure is a promising ultra-early stage treatment for intracerebral hemorrhage and that it may improve the long-term prognosis in patents with intracerebral hemorrhage.

We studied the expression of each component of the renin-angiotensin system (renin, angiotensin I-converting enzyme, angiotensinogen, and angiotensin II type I receptor) in balloon-injured rat carotid artery. We assessed the expression levels of the respective mRNAs by competitive polymerase chain reaction. Renin mRNA concentration was markedly increased 24 hours after balloon injury and remained higher than that in the control at 7 days after balloon injury. Angiotensin-converting enzyme mRNA concentration was decreased 24 hours after balloon injury and was increased at 14 days after balloon injury. No significant change in angiotensinogen mRNA concentration was observed throughout the study period. Angiotensin type I receptor mRNA concentration was increased beginning 3 days after balloon injury and remained higher than that in the control at 14 days after balloon injury. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that renin was transiently expressed in medial smooth muscle cells after balloon injury. Administration of quinapril markedly reduced neointimal formation and was accompanied by an attenuation of the increase in the concentrations of angiotensin type I receptor and angiotensin-converting enzyme mRNAs. The upregulation of renin mRNA in balloon-injured rat carotid artery preceded and may play a role in neointimal formation.