title: Experience with U-shaped catheters in angiography and angioplasty of the left coronary artery.
abstract: We developed a U-shaped diagnostic and guiding catheter for left coronary angiography and angioplasty. Angiography with a 6 French (F) diagnostic U-shaped catheter was attempted in 101 patients (pts). Primary use in 82 pts; all successful. Secondary use after failure of 6 F left Judkins diagnostic catheters to intubate the left main coronary artery in 19 pts; 17 successful. An 8 F U-shaped guiding catheter was used for percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) of left coronary artery branches in 102 pts [left anterior descending (LAD), 48 pts; circumflex (CX), 54 pts]. Stable cannulation of the left coronary artery was achieved in 96 pts (94%), but PTCA was successful in 90 pts (88%). Primary use in 70 pts (LAD, 27 pts; CX, 43 pts). PTCA was successful in 60 pts. Secondary use after failure of left Judkins and Amplatz guiding catheters in 32 pts (LAD, 21 pts; CX, 11 pts). PTCA was successful in 30 pts. No complications were seen. In conclusion, U-shaped diagnostic and guiding catheters increased the success rate of 1) left coronary angiography after failure of left Judkins diagnostic catheters; and 2) PTCA of the left anterior descending and circumflex arteries after failure of left Judkins and Amplatz guiding catheters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: el Gamal
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bracke
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bonnier
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: el Biltagiu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Peels
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pijls
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: van Gelder
mesh_terms: D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000295:instrumentation*; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000295:instrumentation*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy; D004867:Equipment Design; D004868:Equipment Failure; D006801:Humans