Faculty Bibliography

Treatment of native right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) dysfunction with predominant pulmonary regurgitation has become a catheter-based procedure since the introduction of the RVOT reducer devices such as the Alterra prestent (Edwards Lifesciences). These devices have potential complications. One such complication is the migration or embolization of the stent. Herein, we present 2 cases of patients with native RVOT dysfunction who underwent the implantation of the Alterra prestent complicated by proximal migration of the stent, which was managed by placement of a second Alterra prestent in 1 case and repositioning of the prestent in the second case.

Resident macrophages densely populate the normal arterial wall, yet their origins and the mechanisms that sustain them are poorly understood. Here we use gene-expression profiling to show that arterial macrophages constitute a distinct population among macrophages. Using multiple fate-mapping approaches, we show that arterial macrophages arise embryonically from CX3CR1(+) precursors and postnatally from bone marrow-derived monocytes that colonize the tissue immediately after birth. In adulthood, proliferation (rather than monocyte recruitment) sustains arterial macrophages in the steady state and after severe depletion following sepsis. After infection, arterial macrophages return rapidly to functional homeostasis. Finally, survival of resident arterial macrophages depends on a CX3CR1-CX3CL1 axis within the vascular niche.