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Background: The optimal management of patients with spontaneous coronary artery dissection remains debated., Methods: Patients enrolled in the DISCO (Dissezioni Spontanee Coronariche) Registry up to December 2020 were included. The primary end point was major adverse cardiovascular events, a composite of all-cause death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and repeat percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Independent predictors of PCI and medical management were investigated., Results: Among 369 patients, 129 (35%) underwent PCI, whereas 240 (65%) were medically managed. ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (68% versus 35%, P <0.001), resuscitated cardiac arrest (9% versus 3%, P <0.001), proximal coronary segment involvement (32% versus 7%, P <0.001), and Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction flow 0 to 1 (54% versus 20%, P <0.001) were more frequent in the PCI arm. In-hospital event rates were similar. Between patients treated with PCI and medical therapy, there were no differences in terms of major adverse cardiovascular events at 2 years (13.9% versus 11.7%, P =0.467), all-cause death (0.7% versus 0.4%, P =0.652), myocardial infarction (9.3% versus 8.3%, P =0.921) and repeat PCI (12.4% versus 8.7%, P =0.229). ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction at presentation (odds ratio [OR], 3.30 [95% CI, 1.56-7.12]; P =0.002), proximal coronary segment involvement (OR, 5.43 [95% CI, 1.98-16.45]; P =0.002), Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction flow grade 0 to 1 and 2 (respectively, OR, 3.22 [95% CI, 1.08-9.96]; P =0.038; and OR, 3.98 [95% CI, 1.38-11.80]; P =0.009) and luminal narrowing (OR per 5% increase, 1.13 [95% CI, 1.01-1.28]; P =0.037) were predictors of PCI, whereas the 2B-angiographic subtype predicted medical management (OR, 0.25 [95% CI, 0.07-0.83]; P =0.026)., Conclusions: Clinical presentation and procedural variables drive the choice of the initial therapeutic approach in spontaneous coronary artery dissection. If PCI is needed, it seems to be associated with a similar risk of short-to-mid-term adverse events compared to medical treatment., Registration: URL: https://www., Clinicaltrials: gov; Unique identifier: NCT04415762., Competing Interests: Disclosures Dr Porto reports consultant or speaker fees from Biotronik, ABIOMED, Terumo, Philips, Sanofi, Amgen, Daiichi-Sankyo, Astra Zeneca, Bayer, and PIAM, not related to this work. The other authors report no conflicts.

Aims: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a relatively infrequent cause of acute coronary syndrome. Clinical features, angiographic findings, management, and outcomes of SCAD patients who present reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) remain unknown., Methods and Results: The Spanish multicentre prospective SCAD registry (NCT03607981), included 389 consecutive patients with SCAD. In 348 of these patients, LVEF could be assessed by echocardiography during the index admission. Characteristics and outcomes of patients with preserved LVEF (LVEF ≥50%, n = 295, 85%) were compared with those with reduced LVEF (LVEF <50%, n = 53, 15%). Mean age was 54 years and 90% of patients in both groups were women. The most frequent clinical presentation in patients with reduced LVEF was ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) (62% vs. 36%, P < 0.001), especially anterior STEMI. Proximal coronary segment and multi-segment involvement were also significantly more frequent in these patients. No differences were found on initial revascularization between groups. Patients with reduced LVEF significantly received more often neurohormonal antagonist therapy, and less frequently aspirin. In-hospital events were more frequent in these patients (13% vs. 5%, P = 0.01), with higher rates of death, cardiogenic shock, ventricular arrhythmia, and stroke. During a median follow-up of 28 months, the occurrence of a combined adverse event did not statistically differ between the two groups (19% vs. 12%, P = 0.13). However, patients with reduced LVEF had higher mortality (9% vs. 0.7%, P < 0.001) and readmission rates for heart failure (HF) (4% vs. 0.3%, P = 0.01)., Conclusion: Patients with SCAD and reduced LVEF show differences in clinical characteristics and angiographic findings compared with SCAD patients with preserved LVEF. Although these patients receive specific medications at discharge, they had higher mortality and readmission rates for HF during follow-up., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: None declared., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Introduction: The angiographic type 4 in SCAD is described as a total occlusion of the coronary artery and its management may differ according to its clinical presentation. We previously have observed that these patients present a low incidence of adverse events. Our objective was to describe clinical and angiographic characteristics of this condition, according to its initial management in the DISCO registry., Methods: We conducted an observational study of consecutive SCAD patients from 26 centres of Italy and Spain (DISCO registry). Angiotype 4 SCAD cases were selected and classified according to the initial treatment chosen: conservative management vs. percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Clinical and angiographic characteristics were compared., Results: We recruited 81 (mean age 52.6 ± 11 years) patients with SCAD angiotype 4 out of 302 patients of the DISCO registry. Thirty-eight (46.9%) patients received conservative management and 43 (53.1%) received PCI. Nearly all patients undergoing PCI had ST-segment elevation (93% vs 47.4%, p < 0.0001), the left anterior descending artery (LAD) was more commonly involved (67.4% vs. 42.1%, p = 0.006), and they had more frequent proximal segment involvement (25.6% vs 2.7%, p = 0.004) and longer lesions (46.5 ± 23.2 mm vs 26.4 ± 18.8 mm, p = 0.017). On the other hand, non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (52.6% vs 2.3%, p = 0.001) and isolated involvement of secondary branches (55.3 vs 4.7, p < 0.0001) were more common in the conservative management group., Conclusions: Patients with SCAD angiotype 4 who underwent PCI had a higher frequency of STEMI and involvement of proximal and longer coronary segments, particularly affecting the left anterior descending artery. NSTEMI and isolated involvement of secondary branches were more frequently found in those managed conservatively., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction and Objectives: Changes in sex hormone levels are a known triggering factor for spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) in women. However, it is unknown whether exposure to exogenous hormone therapy (HT) at the time of SCAD presentation modifies the clinical course of this condition. We investigated the association between HT in female patients presenting with SCAD and short-term clinical outcomes., Methods: We enrolled consecutive patients presenting with SCAD from the DISCO-IT/SPA (dissezioni spontanee coronariche Italian-Spanish) registry. Women on HT (estrogens, progestagens, or gonadotropins) at the time of presentation were identified, and their clinical characteristics and short-term outcomes were compared with those not receiving active HT. The outcome measure was nonfatal myocardial infarction and/or unplanned percutaneous coronary intervention during the first 28 days after the index catheterization., Results: Of 224 women presenting with SCAD (mean age 52.0±10.0 years), 39 (17.4%) were currently using HT while 185 (82.6%) were not. No significant differences were noted in the baseline demographics, clinical presentation, angiographic features, or initial treatment received between the 2 groups. All patients on systemic HT (n=36, 92%) discontinued it at the time of diagnosis. The composite outcome occurred in 7 (17.9%) patients with prior HT compared with 14 (7.6%) without (P=.039). After multivariable adjustment, HT remained associated with the composite outcome recorded in the first 28 days of follow-up (HR, 3.53; 95%CI, 1.30-9.61; P=.013)., Conclusions: In women with SCAD, exposure to HT at the time of clinical presentation was associated with short-term recurrent cardiovascular events such as nonfatal myocardial infarction and/or unplanned percutaneous revascularization., (Copyright © 2023 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Severe coronary artery calcification is one of the greatest challenges in attaining success in percutaneous coronary intervention, limiting acute and long-term results. In many cases, plaque preparation is a critical prerequisite for delivery of devices across calcific stenoses and also to achieve adequate luminal dimensions. Recent advances in intracoronary imaging and adjunctive technologies now allow the operator to select the most appropriate strategy in each individual case. In this review, we will revisit the distinct advantages of a complete assessment of coronary artery calcification with imaging and application of appropriate and contemporary plaque modification technologies in achieving durable results in this complex lesion subset., Competing Interests: Competing interests: NG reports speaker and consultancy fees from Abbott, Boston Scientific, Phillips and Shockwave. JH declares stocks in Shockwave Medical (SWAV)., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Objective: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an infrequent cause of acute coronary syndrome. Our aim was to assess adverse events at follow-up from a nationwide prospective cohort., Methods: The Spanish Registry on SCAD (SR-SCAD) included patients from 34 hospitals. All coronary angiograms were analysed by two experts. Those cases with doubts regarding the diagnosis of SCAD were excluded. The angiographic SCAD classification by Saw et al was followed. Major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular event (MACCE) was predefined as composite of death, myocardial infarction, unplanned revascularisation, SCAD recurrence or stroke. All events were assigned by a Clinical Events Committee., Results: After corelab evaluation, 389 patients were included. Most patients were women (88%); median age 53 years (IQR 47-60). Most patients presented as non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (54%). A type 2 intramural haematoma (IMH) was the most frequent angiographic pattern (61%). A conservative initial management was selected in 78% of patients. At a median time of follow-up of 29 months (IQR 17-38), 46 patients (13%) presented MACCE, mainly driven by reinfarctions (7.6%) and unplanned revascularisations (6.2%). Previous history of hypothyroidism (HR 3.79; p<0.001), proximal vessel involvement (HR 2.69; p=0.009), type 2 IMH (HR 2.12; p=0.037) and dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) at discharge (HR 2.18; p=0.042) were independent predictors of MACCE., Conclusions: In this large prospective cohort of patients with SCAD, prognosis was overall favourable, with events mainly driven by reinfarctions or unplanned revascularisations. History of hypothyroidism, proximal vessel involvement, type 2 IMH and DAPT at discharge were associated with MACCE., Trial Registration Number: NCT03607981., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Aim: To investigate key aspects of the problem of myocardial revascularization failure (MRF) and repeat or secondary myocardial revascularization (SR) in contemporary practice., Methods: The registry of secondary revascularization (REVASEC) is an investigator-initiated, multicenter, prospective registry enhanced with data monitoring and independent event adjudication (ClinicalTrials.govNCT03349385). It includes patients with prior revascularization referred to coronary angiography for suspected MRF with broad inclusion criteria. The main objectives are to describe the characteristics of patients with prior revascularization referred for repeat angiography, to describe and the rate and mechanisms of MRF (stent or graft failure, coronary artery disease progression or residual coronary artery disease); to evaluate the management including medical treatment and SR of these patients; and to assess the prognosis according to the outlined causative mechanisms. The registry has one year follow up for the primary endpoint (Patient-oriented composite endpoint including all-cause death, any myocardial infarction or any new unplanned revascularization according to subsets of MRF), but extended follow-up will be carried out up to 5 years., Conclusion: The REVASEC Registry will provide updated data on the characteristics, patterns of treatment, and 1-year outcomes of patients with MRF and SR in contemporary clinical practice., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aims: The role of antiplatelet therapy in patients with spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) undergoing initial conservative management is still a matter of debate, with theoretical arguments in favour and against its use. The aims of this article are to assess the use of antiplatelet drugs in medically treated SCAD patients and to investigate the relationship between single (SAPT) and dual (DAPT) antiplatelet regimens and 1-year patient outcomes., Methods and Results: We investigated the 1-year outcome of patients with SCAD managed with initial conservative treatment included in the DIssezioni Spontanee COronariche (DISCO) multicentre international registry. Patients were divided into two groups according to SAPT or DAPT prescription. Primary endpoint was 12-month incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) defined as the composite of all-cause death, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), and any unplanned percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Out of 314 patients included in the DISCO registry, we investigated 199 patients in whom SCAD was managed conservatively. Most patients were female (89%), presented with acute coronary syndrome (92%) and mean age was 52.3 ± 9.3 years. Sixty-seven (33.7%) were given SAPT whereas 132 (66.3%) with DAPT. Aspirin plus either clopidogrel or ticagrelor were prescribed in 62.9% and 36.4% of DAPT patients, respectively. Overall, a 14.6% MACE rate was observed at 12 months of follow-up. Patients treated with DAPT had a significantly higher MACE rate than those with SAPT [18.9% vs. 6.0% hazard ratios (HR) 2.62; 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.22-5.61; P = 0.013], driven by an early excess of non-fatal MI or unplanned PCI. At multiple regression analysis, type 2a SCAD (OR: 3.69; 95% CI 1.41-9.61; P = 0.007) and DAPT regimen (OR: 4.54; 95% CI 1.31-14.28; P = 0.016) resulted independently associated with a higher risk of 12-month MACE., Conclusions: In this European registry, most patients with SCAD undergoing initial conservative management received DAPT. Yet, at 1-year follow-up, DAPT, as compared with SAPT, was independently associated with a higher rate of adverse cardiovascular events (ClinicalTrial.gov id: NCT04415762)., (Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author(s) 2021. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Aims: Functional assessment of non-culprit lesions (NCL) in patients presenting with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and multivessel disease constitutes an unmet need. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of quantitative flow ratio (QFR) in the functional assessment of NCL during the acute phase of STEMI., Methods and Results: This was a retrospective, observational, multicentre study including patients with STEMI and staged fractional flow reserve (FFR) assessment of NCL. QFR in NCL was calculated from the coronary angiogram acquired during primary PCI in a blinded fashion with respect to FFR. The diagnostic value of QFR in the STEMI population was compared with a propensity score-matched population of stable angina patients. Eighty-two patients (91 NCL) were included. Target lesions were of both angiographic and functional (mean FFR 0.82±0.09) intermediate severity. The diagnostic performance of QFR was high (AUC 0.91 [95% CI: 0.85-0.97]) and similar to that observed in the matched control population (AUC 0.91 vs 0.94, p=0.5). The diagnostic accuracy of QFR was very high (>95%) in those vessels (61.5%) with QFR values out of a ROC-defined "grey zone" (0.75-0.85). A hybrid FFR/QFR approach (FFR only when QFR is in the grey zone) would adequately classify 96.7% of NCL, avoiding 58.5% of repeat diagnostic procedures., Conclusions: QFR has a good diagnostic accuracy in assessing the functional relevance of NCL during primary PCI, similar to the accuracy observed in stable patients.

Aims: Given the different pathogenesis, use of drug eluting stent (DES) in patients with Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection SCAD may delay the healing of the dissected vessel. Aim of our study was to compare the safety and the efficacy of DES vs. bare metal stent (BMS) in a cohort of patients who underwent stenting for SCAD., Methods and Results: Consecutive patients with SCAD between January 1995 and August 2014 were retrospectively identified in 12 centers and included. Major Adverse Cardiac Events (MACE) was the primary end point. A total of 238 SCAD patients were identified: of them 108 patients underwent PCI with DES or BMS. Overall 24 patients (22.2%) suffered an intra-procedural complication without any differences between the 2 groups. At median follow-up of 1201days (Inter Quartile Range 541-2760), incidence of the primary endpoint showed a trend towards less events in the DES-treated patients (38.7% vs. 25.9% p=0.14) mainly driven by the benefit of DES in terms of TVR (17.6% vs. 4%, p=0.08), mortality (16.8% vs. 9.3%, p=0.4), and MI rate (16% vs. 8.4%, p=0.33). STEMI at presentation (HR 6.4, CI 95% 1.29-31.9, p=0.02) but not kind of stent (HR 0.97, CI 95% 0.2-4.7, p=0.9) emerged as independently related to prognosis at multivariable analysis., Conclusions: In SCAD patients use of DES seems to be as safe as BMS with trend of better efficacy in the long term., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)