Inflammation plays a major pathogenetic role in the development of atherosclerotic plaques and related thromboembolic events. The identification of vulnerable plaques is of the utmost importance, as this may allow the implementation of more effective preventive and therapeutic interventions. We aimed to determine whether plaque inflammation could be measured by positron emision tomography (PET) in combination with computer tomography (CT) using fluorodeaxyglucose (FDG) and what is the relationship between FDG uptake and immunohistochemical findings in the removed atherosclerotic lesions of the femoral and carotid arteries. The results showed that FDG uptake is related to the accumulation of inflammatory cells in atherosclerotic lesions.This finding suggests that FDG uptake reflects the severity of atherosclerotic vessel wall inflammation,and it could be an indicator of their vulnerability.
COBISS.SI-ID: 1267884
Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging presents a concern for patients with metallic implants. We have determined that the maximum magnetic force on a stainless steel coronary stent in a MR magnet was 0.18 mN and that on a cobalt-chromium stent 0.06 mN, which is less than the gravitational force, so that it has no physiological impact.
COBISS.SI-ID: 26233127
Endothelial dysfunction as an integrating index of the risk factor burden and genetic susceptibility is an early marker of atherothrombotic disease. Therefore, tremendous interest exists in its measurement and determination of the clinical utility of endothelial function. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the peripheral conduit arteries is one of the most widely used tests of endothelial function. A new technique, low-flow-mediated constriction (L-FMC), provides complementary information to that by FMD. Peripheral arterial tonometry (PAT) evaluates pulse wave amplitude, which is linked to endothelial function in microcirculation. Therefore, FMD of the brachial artery and PAT are very different methods for identification of the vascular reactivity of different arterial territories.
COBISS.SI-ID: 635308
Coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) is a promising noninvasive method for detection of coronary artery disease in individuals at intermediate cardiovascular risk. However, the influence of race and ethnicity on diagnostic performance CCTA has not been addressed to date. There were included patients who identified themselves as African-American, Hispanic/Latin, Asian or Caucasian and who underwent both CCTA and invasive coronary angiography. It was shown that 64-slice multidetector CCTA is highly sensitive and specific in detecting significant coronary artery stenosis in individuals with chest pain irrespective of race or ethnicity.
COBISS.SI-ID: 31258329
Classical and non-classical risk factors contribute to the development of myocardial infarction (MI) in young patients. The aim of the present study was to find out whether insulin resistance and impaired fibrinolysis, with increased plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1), are present in young male post-MI patients, and their relation to addditional markers of carciovascular risk such as endothelial dysfunction (ED). Compared to the control group, in post-MI patients PAI-1 antigen, PAI-1 activity and fibrinogen were significantly elevated. In patients increased PAI-1 antigen and activity were both significantly positively relaated to insulin resistance. We found an important negativen relation between PAI-1 antigen and FMD and between PAI-1 activity and FMD. It could be concluded that impaired fibrinolysis with increased PAI-1 is an important non-classical risk factor for MI, particularly in young males with increased BMI and insulin resistance.
COBISS.SI-ID: 31257049