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Myocardial revascularization in patients with stable ischemic heart disease aims at eliminating myocardial ischemia, in order to (i) relieve anginal symptoms; (ii) improve functional capacity; and, possibly, (iii) improve prognosis. Given that ischemic recurrences are relatively common in patients undergoing myocardial revascularization, an appropriate follow-up is needed as part of a secondary prevention program. Stress testing can be here useful to: (i) detect residual or recurrent ischemia/angina; (ii) define functional capacity in order to establish physical aerobic training individualized programs; (iii) stratify prognosis. These goals can in large part be achieved by the ECG stress test, by far the cheapest, the easiest to perform and the most accessible test among those proposed so far, particularly compared with other imaging stress test modalities. There is, however, considerable discrepancy among scientific society recommendations on the use, timing and methods of ECG stress testing and of stress testing in general after revascularization. In addition to the diversity of recommendations, the use of stress tests in general is extremely variable in current clinical practice.This review aims therefore at revisiting principles, advantages and limitations of the ECG stress test and of stress tests in general in revascularized patients, highlighting recent developments of the ECG stress technique. This should also aim at issuing new recommendations to avoid the inappropriate prescription of expensive and more cumbersome techniques, to be reserved only to a second-tier diagnostic level and in a minority of cases.

Objectives: To test whether thrombus aspiration (TA) reduces the atherosclerotic burden in culprit lesions and "facilitate" percutaneous coronary intervention with stent (S-PCI) among patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS)., Background: Evidence on the effects of TA adjunctive to S-PCI in NSTE-ACS is limited and controversial., Methods: TA was defined "aggressive" when using 7F devices or a catheter/artery ratio >0.6, "conservative" with 6F, and a catheter/artery ratio ≤0.6. Angiography and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) were performed at baseline, after TA and after stent deployment., Results: TA was accomplished in 61/76 patients (80%) with NSTE-ACS. The aspirated material was red thrombus in 23% and plaque fragments in 49% of cases. Compared with baseline, TA was associated with an 82% increase in minimal lumen diameter and a 15% reduction in diameter stenosis (P < 0.001 for both). After TA, IVUS documented a 24 and 16% increase in minimal lumen area and lumen volume, respectively (P < 0.001 for both), a 7% decrease in area stenosis through an 11% reduction of plaque + media volume (P < 0.001). When compared with "conservative", an "aggressive" TA was associated with a more pronounced reduction in percent area stenosis (P < 0.05) and an increase in percent stent expansion (P < 0.001). The plaque + media volume reduction after TA was correlated with stent expansion (r = 0.261, P = 0.046)., Conclusions: Manual TA reduces atherothrombotic burden in culprit lesions of NSTE-ACS patients before S-PCI and, when deep plaque removal is obtained, TA optimizes subsequent stent expansion. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Although the treatment of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) has advanced considerably, the ability to detect, predict, and prevent complications of atherosclerotic plaques, considered the main cause of ACS, remains elusive. Several imaging tools have therefore been developed to characterize morphological determinants of plaque vulnerability, defined as the propensity or probability of plaques to complicate with coronary thrombosis, able to predict patients at risk. By utilizing both intravascular and noninvasive imaging tools, indeed prospective longitudinal studies have recently provided considerable knowledge, increasing our understanding of determinants of plaque formation, progression, and instabilization. In the present review we aim at 1) critically analyzing the incremental utility of imaging tools over currently available "traditional" methods of risk stratification; 2) documenting the capacity of such modalities to monitor atherosclerosis progression and regression according to lifestyle modifications and targeted therapy; and 3) evaluating the potential clinical relevance of advanced imaging, testing whether detection of such lesions may guide therapeutic decisions and changes in treatment strategy. The current understanding of modes of progression of atherosclerotic vascular disease and the appropriate use of available diagnostic tools may already now gauge the selection of patients to be enrolled in primary and secondary prevention studies. Appropriate trials should now, however, evaluate the cost-effectiveness of an aggressive search of vulnerable plaques, favoring implementation of such diagnostic tools in daily practice., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)