Nowadays 'interventional cardiology' is not only looking to coronary arteries, but also to structural heart disease, valvular heart disease as well as cardiovascular diseases.
Since the introduction of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), diagnostic tools for percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) now not only including coronary angiography but also intravascular ultrasound, optical coherence tomography and recently infrared spectroscopy. These different diagnostic imaging techniques are discussed in a review by van Beusekom et al. concerning bioresorbable coronary stents, called scaffolds.
The acute coronary syndrome in pre- and post-partum women can be regarded as a big challenge for cardiologists but also gynaecologists and is covered by Aprigliano et al. in an interesting and stimulating review. The re-opening of occluded coronary vessels can be performed, but it can be regarded as the most intensive and most experience-requiring technology in interventional cardiology as demonstrated by Ramanath and Thompson. Elsewhere, McNulty reviews the current value of coronary artery bypass grafting versus PCI for unprotected left main disease; a typical heart term topic.
As a young doctor, I already proposed carotid artery stenting in 1979 in a forum with neurologists and cardiologists at the University Aachen, Germany. People were laughing but became serious when such a question was discussed in the early beginnings of PTCA. However, 35 years later carotid artery stenting is an established cardiovascular interventional strategy, as presented by Willaert and Van Herzeele.
The alternative to surgery is also endovascular treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Patient selection and long-term outcome is discussed by Greenhalgh et al. I am convinced that interventional cardiologists will find this volume interesting, with reviews and new details for their daily work not only related to coronary but also to cardiovascular interventions.
I hope everyone enjoys this volume of Interventional Cardiology Review.