Solid pebble like deposits forming in the kidneys by the accumulation of calcium, oxalate, and uric acid are nephrolithiasis, popularly known as kidney stones. Kidney stones can vary in size, from tiny grains to large ball sized stones. Over time, they can crystallize and bind together, eventually forming a larger mass over a period of time. The formation of such kidney stones can cause pain and discomfort to the patient, which can lead to abdominal pain, blood in the urine, and frequent urination. Further, we will discuss in detail about kidney stones, their causes, symptoms, and treatments that can help…
Author: SBH
Dr. Neeraj Singh is a Consultant Neuro and spine surgeon
Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) is a non-surgical yet invasive procedure that will relieve the blockage of the blood flow in the arteries supplying your heart. Why do my coronary arteries get blocked? The arteries that supply blood to your heart are called the coronary arteries. A good blood flow is needed via these arteries to ensure your heart is functioning efficiently and pumping blood to all your other organs. However, sometimescholesterol and other substances form plaques in the walls of the coronary arteriesand clog them interrupting the blood flow. These plaques can rupture can attract platelets which leads to a…
When it comes to looking inside the arteries supplying the muscles of the heart (coronary arteries), two imaging modalities come into play. They are angiography and OCT (optical coherence tomography). Angiography During an angioplasty, a stent is used to open the blocked blood vessel. When doing an angiography (angiogram), a doctor injects a dye into the vessels to make them visible on an X-ray. Despite being the most popular, angiograms have a number of disadvantages. The resolution of their two-dimensional images is low. Angiography cannot provide a glimpse into the vessel. Additionally, there is a chance that the stent won’t…
What is TAVI? Transcatheter aortic valve implantation, often known as TAVI, is a minimally invasive surgical procedure used to insert new aortic valves into the heart to replace old, narrowed ones. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement, in which the replacement valve is inserted inside the unhealthy valve (TAVR). The main purpose of this operation is to cure severe aortic stenosis (AS). The aortic valve narrows dramatically in this situation, making it difficult for blood to flow through it and to the rest of the body. It can result in heart failure or sudden cardiac death and cause chest pain, exhaustion, shortness…
Why do we need Rotablation? Coronary heart disease. A disease which kills over 18 million people, annually, in the world. Responsible for almost 32% of global deaths, this is the most common type of heart disease that mankind continues to face. In India alone, about 62 million people suffered from this disease in 2015 and this number continues to rise. Coronary heart disease (a.k.a. coronary artery disease) is when the blood vessels supplying the heart get blocked due to the buildup of fatty deposits. This causes loss of blood supply to the heart resulting in the death of heart tissues…
What is an acute MI? It is defined as the is chaemia of the cardiac muscles due to an obstruction to any of the arteries that supply the heart (coronary arteries). Among many causes, The obstruction mainly occurs due to the deposition of atherosclerotic plaques in coronary arteries. There are two types of myocardial infarction (MI). They are acute ST-elevation MI (STEMI) and acute non-ST-elevation MI (NSTEMI). NSTEMI is brought on by a minor arterial blockage or a large artery that is partially blocked whereas STEMI results when a major artery is entirely blocked by a burst plaque1. With primary…
What is IVUS? Endovascular ultrasonography or intravascular echocardiography are other names for intravascular ultrasound or IVUS. It produces images of the interior of blood vessels using sound waves(ultrasound) in the 10 to 40 MHz range produced by a transducer or probe. A unique catheter with a tiny ultrasonic transducer on one end is used for IVUS. To reach the desired place, the clinician threads the catheter through an artery or vein. After arriving, the transducer produces sound waves to create images of the blood vessels and aid in the evaluation of various problems. With the help of IVUS, transcatheter coronary…
As the name suggests, aortic valve replacement, replaces a malfunctioning aortic valve with a functioning aortic valve. Aorta is the blood vessel through which the oxygenated blood from the heart is distributed throughout the body. The aortic valve is the valve that controls the flow of blood from the heart and the aorta. Therefore, if there the aortic valve doesn’t function properly, it would lead to altered blood flow to the body. Do you know two problems that can occur in your aortic valve? One is that the aortic valve can get narrowed and hardened (stenosis) or it can leak…
Cardiovascular diseases have become a leading cause of mortality in the world. Ischemic heart disease involving the coronary arteries makes up a major part of it. In India, the mortality rate is much higher than the global rate. Not only the higher mortality rate affects the Indian population but also it affects around 50 years of age. Though Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of death it can be prevented with early treatment. To prevent a disease, diagnosis is key. Coronary angiogram (CAG) is one of the top diagnostic tools available to diagnose ischemic heart disease. So, what is…
