Comparative evaluation of long-term clinical efficacy with catheter-based percutaneous intramyocardial autologous bone marrow cell implantation versus laser myocardial revascularization in patients with severe coronary artery disease.
BACKGROUND
Catheter-based percutaneous laser myocardial revascularization (PMR) and intramyocardial direct bone marrow (BM) cell implantation have been investigated to treat patients with severe coronary artery disease (CAD). In both therapeutic approaches, direct local myocardial injury might be a common mechanism to induce therapeutic angiogenesis.


METHODS
We studied the long-term clinical outcome in 16 patients with severe CAD who received either catheter-based PMR (n = 8) or intramyocardial autologous BM cell implantation (n = 8) as guided by electromechanical mapping.


RESULTS
There were no significant differences in the baseline characteristics and the number of injection versus the number of laser pulse delivered between the 2 groups (P > .05). As compared with baseline, the New York Heart Association functional class and the number of anginal episodes were significantly reduced at 3- and 6-month follow-up in both BM and PMR groups (P < .05). However, the improvement in the New York Heart Association class and the reduction in anginal episodes at 18 months were only persisted in the BM group (P < .05) but not in the PMR group (P > .05). Furthermore, there were significant improvements in exercise time at 6- and 18-month follow-up, and the extent of stress-induced perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography defects at 6-month follow-up in BM group, as compared with baseline (all P < .05), but not in the PMR group (all P > .05). As compared with baseline, there were no significant changes in the total quality of life scores during follow-up in both groups (all P > .05).


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study demonstrated that the catheter-based intramyocardial autologous BM cell implantation might be more effective than PMR in improving symptoms and exercise capacity in patients with severe CAD. The beneficial effect of direct intramyocardial injection was over and beyond those noted in patients treated with PMR, suggesting a potential direct therapeutic effect of BM cells, rather than local myocardial injury alone on chronic ischemic myocardium.
Tse
Hung-Fat
HF
Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, China. hftse@hkucc.hku.hk
Thambar
Sukumaran
S
Kwong
Yok-Lam
YL
Rowlings
Philip
P
Bellamy
Greg
G
McCrohon
Jane
J
Bastian
Bruce
B
Chan
John K F
JK
Lo
Gladys
G
Ho
Chi-Lai
CL
Parker
Anthony
A
Hauser
Thomas H
TH
Lau
Chu-Pak
CP
D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000379:methods*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009204:Myocardial Revascularization / Q000379:methods*; D009206:Myocardium; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome