Department of Interventional Cardiology

Coronary Interventional Cardiology and Heart Defects

Quick Facts

Alongside traditional and digital angiography, the most recent procedures for the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases are performed using the most up-to-date technologies. The Unit can count on 3 angiography rooms and 35 beds for elective admissions.

In addition to traditional and digital angiography, in cardiac catheterization laboratories are used the latest procedures for the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases that take advantage of the most advanced technologies such as optical coherence tomography, computed quantitative angiography, intravascular ultrasonography, doppler intracoronary flow, and a wireless platform that allows assessment of the epicardial disease's physiology and coronary microvascular dysfunction.

The medical staff of the Unit, formed by twelve cardiologists, also has extensive experience in the interventional treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The therapeutic modalities for the non-surgical treatment of atherosclerotic pathology of coronary and peripheral vessels, congenital heart disease of the adult, and acquired pathologies of heart valves can be summarized as follows:

  • Coronary or peripheral angioplasty with stent implantation
  • Rotational coronary atherectomy/Intravascular lithotripsy for coronary and peripheral calcific lesions
  • Closure of intracardiac shunts (interatrial septal defect, pervious oval foramen, pervious Botallo duct) by percutaneous implantation of occlusal devices
  • Correction of abdominal aortic aneurysms and other peripheral arteries (subclavian, iliac, popliteal) by percutaneous endograft implantation
  • Pulmonary and mitral valvuloplasty, percutaneous aortic valve implant, percutaneous correction of mitral and tricuspid valve failure
  • Alcoholic ablation of the interventricular septum in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
  • Installation of caval filters for the prevention of pulmonary embolism

In the context of these activities, coronary angioplasty is particularly important in high-risk patients and in acute myocardial infarction.
The Monzino's interventional cardiologists have gained a recognized experience in the use of cardiovascular support means, such as aortic counterpulsation, Impella and percutaneous cardiopulmonary bypass, during percutaneous myocardial revascularization procedures in patients with depressed heart function.

The Unit also offer a ready availability service of medical, nursing and technical personnel, active 24 hours a day, for primary coronary angioplasty in patients arriving at the Monzino with acute myocardial infarction. This interventional treatment is now considered the best means to reduce damage to the heart pump function and mortality in patients suffering from heart attack.

Research Activities

  • In addition to clinical activity, the staff is engaged in intensive research. The main scientific strands can be summarized as follows:

    • Clinical evaluation of new coronary stents (third generation medicated stents;);
    • Interventional treatment with medicated stents of complex coronary diseases (unprotected stenosis of the common trunk, multivasal and diffuse disease);
    • Treatment of complex, calcific coronary lesions with dedicated devices;
    • Use of drug-releasing flasks for the treatment of de novo coronary lesions in peripheral and small-calibre vessels;
    • Treatment of intra-stent ristenosis;
    • New strategies for the prevention of contrast nephropathy;
    • Prevention of stent thrombosis (study of platelet function during antiaggregant therapy and after its suspension) in collaboration with the Laboratory of Cellular Biology and Biochemistry of Atheotrombosis;
    • Invasive assessment of the functionality of the coronary microcirculation in the absence of obstructive atherosclerotic pathology;
    • Evaluation of coronary angioplasty guided by 3D reconstruction of coronary artery obtained by coronary CT;
    • Evaluation of clinical and angiographic results after implantation of medicated stents in women;
    • Evaluation of new strategies for the protection of the coronary microcirculation during primary angioplasty;
    • Circulatory support systems in cardiogenic shock;
    • Study of the correlation between migraine with aura, patency of the foramen ovale and platelet activation;
    • Long-term evaluation of percutaneous correction outcomes of PFO in the prevention of neurovascular events;
    • Study of the clinical effectiveness of different types of stents and brain protection tools for the interventional treatment of carotid stenosis;
    • Assessment of long-term patency and incidence of autoexpandable stent fracture in nitinol after implantation in the superficial femoral artery.

Other Activities

  • Educational activities

    The cardiologists collaborate with the University of Milan welcoming internal students of the Master of Science in Medicine and Surgery and the residents in Cardiology, providing logistics, specific teaching and tutors necessary for the training and preparation of theses.

    In the laboratories are regularly hosted, with the purpose of teaching and improvement, medical visitors from Italian and foreign institutes.

    National and international scientific activities

    The cardiologists are involved every year in several national and international congress activities with the purpose of: updating themselves, presenting scientific research results and participate in various clinical research protocols, especially in randomized and multicentric international studies.