Transmyocardial laser revascularization 12 years later.
We report the long-term follow-up of 34 patients who underwent transmyocardial laser revascularization (TMLR) from 1995 to 1999. At 12 years the actuarial survival is 24%±8%, actuarial freedom from cardiac deaths is 36%±10% and actuarial freedom from major adverse cardiac events 13%±8%. Mean angina class of nine current survivors is 2.7±0.6. Based on these results, the use of TMLR as an isolated procedure remains questionable. TMLR could probably achieve better results when employed in combination with myocardial revascularization or as a vehicle of intramyocardial growth factors.
Pratali
Stefano
S
Section of Cardiac Surgery, Cardiac Thoracic and Vascular Department, University of Pisa Medical School, Pisa, Italy.
Chiaramonti
Francesca
F
Milano
Aldo
A
Bortolotti
Uberto
U
D000368:Aged; D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000601:surgery*; D009204:Myocardial Revascularization / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D016019:Survival Analysis