The Coronary Artery

The magnificent anatomic presentation in this book "The Heart and Cor onary Arteries" has a unique importance for surgeons. It is a fundamental contribution to the anatomy of the heart and great arteries as well, because of the analytical, detailed, and imaginative anatomic approach of the author. While surgery from time to time is influenced by the development of new physiologic principles and techniques, methods of intra- and post-operative support, and new diagnostic methodology, the excellence of its results con tinues to be related primarily to the precision and perfection of the opera tive procedure itself. The operative procedure can be precise and perfect only if it is based upon the surgeon's profound knowledge of normal anatomy, his understanding of the alterations in this normal anatomy by the pathol ogy with which he is dealing, and his ability to use this anatomic informa tion in organizing and effecting his surgical procedure. The cardiac sur geon, therefore, will find great rewards from intense study of this anatomic atlas. The cardiologist, the pediatric cardiologist, the anatomist, the pathol ogist, and students interested in cardiac disease will benefit to almost the same degree from a careful study of this work. May 1975 JOHN W. KIRKLIN, M. D.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a screening tool called the Listing of Impairments to identify claimants who are so severely impaired that they cannot work at all and thus immediately qualify for benefits. In this report, the IOM makes several recommendations for improving SSA's capacity to determine disability benefits more quickly and efficiently using the Listings.

Research centering on blood flow in the heart continues to hold an important position, especially since a better understanding of the subject may help reduce the incidence of coronary arterial disease and heart attacks. This book summarizes recent advances in the field; it is the product of fruitful cooperation among international scientists who met in Japan in May, 1990 to discuss the regulation of coronary blood flow.

This book provides an overview of the etiology of coronary artery disease and focuses on the main therapies and drug interventions currently available. It highlights drug pharmacology and therapeutic challenges, with a special emphasis on the underlying principles of available therapeutics and the on-going development of drugs for coronary artery disease. The book is divided into eight chapters, the first of which describes the classical mechanism of coronary artery disease and its clinical presentations. Chapter 2 lists the principles of and related evidence on the prevention and treatment of coronary artery disease. This includes diet and lifestyle management, and guidelines for the treatment of acute coronary syndrome and stable coronary artery disease. In turn, Chapter 3 describes revascularization treatments, covering percutaneous coronary interventions, coronary artery bypass grafts and thrombolysis. This chapter also addresses the main therapeutic challenges. The following chapters provide an overview of three major categories of coronary artery disease drugs, which target thrombosis (Chapter 4), lipid metabolism (Chapter 5), and hypertension (Chapter 6). Heart failure constitutes the major health burden in the late stage of coronary artery disease; accordingly, current heart failure therapeutics and related drug pharmacology are described in Chapter 7. In closing, Chapter 8 provides a summary of on-going clinical trials for coronary artery disease drug development and discusses a number of promising areas in which intensive research into new therapeutics is being pursued. Given its scope, the book will be of interest to clinicians, medical students and research scientists, as well as to pharmaceutical professionals who are seeking new therapies and drugs for coronary artery disease and related disorders.

Considerable advances have been made in cardiology during the last few decades. In particular, there has been great progress in the field of coronary angiography both when combined with, and without, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic reso nance (MR) imaging. These techniques of modern imaging allow the cardiologist and coronary surgeon to study every cardiac structure in detail, both two- and three-di mensionally and from either side, to analyze the movements of the heart and valves, and to observe myocardial circulation and even myocardial metabolic processes. However, coronary heart disease, a multifactorial illness of the coronary vessels, still remains the most common cause of death in developed countries. In addition to the large group of patients suffering from coronary heart disease, there is a smaller group of children and adults who are in need of open heart surgery and,most frequently,valve surgery.Avery small number of individuals suffering from Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome still await competent surgical intervention. These three groups of patients have in common that, for them, meticulous preop erative diagnostics and preparation for surgery are urgently required. Any open heart surgeon who carri es out procedures in the coronary or interventricular grooves or on the atrial walls of the heart must take the normal and anomalous origins,courses, and terminations of cardiac vessels into consideration. Therefore, with the availability of precise anatomical and physiological data,operation time will be shortened, operative risks will diminish, and the safety of the operation for the patient will be greater.

An atlas on coronary artery anomalies, this text provides a guide to the complex morphology that is essential to the understanding of coronary artery disease. The book features a variety of cases - with illustrative angiograms and diagrams - that demonstrates all possible anomalies and clarify what is abnormal. Each case includes clinical information, angiographic findings, other diagnostic material and a discussion.

Chronic total occlusions (CTO) are common, and found in approximately one third of patients with significant coronary artery disease who undergo angiography. Over the past 20 years, CTO lesions have represented the most difficult anatomy for treatment — with lower success rates and higher complication rates. Chronic Total Occlusions provides interventionalists insight into the world of CTOs with introductory chapters that describe the pathology and indications of CTOs along with a review of clinical trials. Imaging modalities including CT angiography, magnetic navigation wire, and IVUS guided recanalization of CTO are also introduced, together with information on new wires technology and devices for CTOs. With numerous illustrations of these devices, technologies, and strategies to improve the CTO success rate, this clinical guide, headed up by Ron Waksman, will prove to be the ideal companion for interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons who are required to perform angioplasty and coronary stenting.

Written by leading authorities in the field, Chest Pain with Normal Coronary Arteries comprehensively reviews the clinical presentation and the pathogenesis of the condition, as well as its management. This book provides a practical tool for the clinician and a bank of information and new ideas for research scientists and clinical researchers interested in understanding the causes and mechanisms of chest pain with normal coronary arteries. Whether the pain be of gastroenterologic, cardiac or endocrine in origin, the book focuses on effective diagnosis, treatment and management of different pathologies in patients. Chest Pain with Normal Coronary Arteries is an essential read for all clinicians involved in managing patients with chest pain, and those that should be aware of non-cardiac chest pain.