The Cook Zilver PTX Drug-eluting Stent Versus Bypass Surgery for the Treatment The Cook Zilver PTX...
Peripheral Vascular DiseaseThe objective of this clinical investigation is to evaluate the early and mid-term outcome (after 6 and 12 months) and the long-term (up to 24 months) outcome of the Zilver PTX paclitaxel-eluting stent (Cook) versus bypass surgery for the treatment of TASC C&D femoropopliteal lesions.
RCT to Evaluate the Renal Protective Effects of Remote Ischaemic Preconditioning in Peripheral Angioplasty...
Peripheral Vascular DiseaseThis study aims to demonstrate if remote ischaemic preconditioning (RIPC) may confer renal protection in patients undergoing peripheral angioplasty. Patients will be randomised to receive RIPC and biomarkers for renal injury will be analysed post procedure to determine if any protective benefit was obtained.
Intracoronary Analysis of Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy by Means of Optical Coherence Tomography...
Intimal ProliferationImmunosuppressionRandomized prospective multi-center imaging study which investigates the impact of different immunosuppressive protocols (Everolimus (Certican®) or Mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept®)) on cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) in heart transplanted patients. Maximal intima-thickness will be visualized by optical coherence tomography (OCT) to assess the progression of CAV.
A Clinical Study Using Autologous Bone Marrow Stem Cell for Diabetes Related Vascular Complications...
Peripheral Vascular DiseaseIschemia1 moreStem cell therapy has been a new and effective therapy in recent years for diabetic foot.This study intends to establish an optimal clinical research program, and attempts to break the technical bottleneck in the stem cell therapy for treating diabetes related vascular complications.
Claudication: Exercise Versus Endoluminal Revascularization (CLEVER)
Cardiovascular DiseasesPeripheral Vascular Diseases1 moreThe purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of aortic stent surgery versus exercise therapy in individuals with aortoiliac insufficiency.
Rosiglitazone Plaque Study
Diabetes MellitusType 22 moreThe purpose of this study is to determine whether rosiglitazone, a peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPAR-gamma) agonist, induces regression in carotid atherosclerotic plaques in diabetic patients with vascular disease and/or hypertension over a 12 month period.
Evaluation of Dynamic Pulmonary Vascular Resistance in Patients With Closed Ventricular Septal Defect...
Pulmonary Vascular DiseasePulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in patients with congenital heart disease usually develops secondary to chronic volume overload of the pulmonary circulation following left to right shunt. This overload leads to elevated pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) and later to increased pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), leading to right ventricular dysfunction, considerable morbidity and even mortality. Since PAH nowadays is mostly detected when symptoms occur and PAP are elevated, the disease already evolved to an advanced stage and treatment is often initiated too late. Our research group standardized the technique for the detection of early pulmonary vascular disease by bicycle stress echocardiography. The investigators now aim to assess this exercise technique in a group of patients with ventricular septal defect.
Absorbable Sutures in Vascular Surgery
Peripheral Vascular DiseaseAbsorbable sutures are not generally accepted by the majority of vascular surgeons for the possible complications such as the breakage of the suture at the anastomoses level. Some experimental and clinical studies in the current literature demonstrated that the use of absorbable sutures may even reduce some important complications such as restenosis. The aim of this study is to compare absorbable and non-absorbable sutures in patients undergoing peripheral vascular surgery with vein bypass grafting.
Coronary Artery Vasculopathy in Pediatric Heart Transplant Patients
Orthotopic Heart TransplantHeart transplantation is a life-sustaining therapy that allows patients with either congenital or acquired heart disease and severe cardiac dysfunction to survive. Over time, however, the transplanted heart can develop problems. One of the more common and troubling problems is the development of stenoses, or narrowings, within the coronary arteries. These narrowings, technically referred to as coronary artery vasculopathy (CAV for short), account for the single most common cause of death or need for repeat heart transplant in persons more than one year post-transplant. Traditionally, CAV has been diagnosed at cardiac catheterization using coronary angiography (where dye is directly injected into the coronary blood vessels and viewed using special x-ray equipment called fluoroscopy). There is no good treatment for CAV aside from treatment of symptoms and listing for repeat heart transplantation. The goal of this study is to test several newer methods of diagnosing CAV. The first is called coronary flow reserve (catheterization test). The second is called Endo-PAT (a finger probe test) and the third is called contrast-enhanced cardiac MRI (MRI test, only for patients 12 and older). The older method (coronary angiography) will still be used in all cases, in addition to the new tests The goal is, one day, to be able to diagnose patients with CAV earlier in the course, prior to a patient's development of abnormal angiograms. If this can be done, it is possible that better therapies will be able to be used to stop or even reverse the development of CAV, perhaps reducing, or at least delaying, the need for repeat heart transplantation.
Translational Development of Photon-counting CT Imaging
CancerInflammatory Disease2 moreUsing an investigational CT scanner which uses a new type of detector to capture X-rays, (a photon counting CT detector), the goal of this experimental study is to compare conventional CT images to CT images using the photon counting detector in patients undergoing CT scans for clinically indicated reasons. The main question it aims to answer is whether the images produced using the new detectors are superior in quality. Participants will undergo the clinically indicated CT images and the photon counting detector CT images of a limited area during the same examination time.