ESPITE MAJOR IMPROVEm e n t s i n a n t i p l a t e l e t therapy, thrombotic events remain the primary cause of death after percutaneous coronary interventions. 1,2 Sirolimus-eluting stents and polymer-based paclitaxel-eluting stents have been shown to reduce neointimal hyperplasia and risk of restenosis without increasing the risk of stent thrombosis. [3][4][5][6][7] Operators are now using drug-eluting stents for a wide variety of clinical and anatomic situations, many of which have not been evaluated in randomized studies. [8][9][10] We analyzed the incidence, predictors, and For editorial comment see p 2154.
Compared to the absence of FKB, the "crush" stenting technique with FKB appears to be associated with more favorable long-term outcomes. When utilizing the "crush" stenting technique, FKB is mandatory.
For the treatment of true bifurcation lesions, a complex strategy of stenting both vessels provided no advantage in terms of procedural success and late outcome versus a simpler strategy of stenting only the parent vessel.
Successful recanalization of coronary total occlusions (CTOs) remains an area where improvements are needed. We propose an approach similar to the one utilized in treating some peripheral artery occlusions and aimed to create a subintimal dissection with distal reentry. A 0.014' hydrophilic wire with a J-configuration is utilized for this purpose. We applied this technique to CTO of native coronaries in 31 patients where previous attempts failed in 21 of them (67%). The right coronary artery (RCA) was the index vessel in 87% of patients. Recanalization of the vessel and of most of distal branches was achieved in 21 patients; patency of at least one major distal branch was achieved in 9 patients. Drug-eluting stents (DESs) were implanted in 53% of patients. Three patients had intraprocedural vessel perforation without consequences. Five patients (16%) had in-hospital non-Q-wave myocardial infarction. No other adverse events occurred at a mean follow-up of 5.1 +/- 3.7 months except for one noncardiac death. Angiographic follow-up was performed in 21 (67%) patients and 53% of them developed restenosis. Reintervention on the target vessel was performed in 11 patients (52%). Complete success with the procedure was originally obtained in 8 of the 10 patients who did not develop restenosis and in 8 of them DESs were originally implanted. This technique appears a promising approach to recanalize difficult total occlusions, particularly the ones localize on the RCA, which has the most important side branches located distally.
The crush technique of bifurcation stenting with drug-eluting stents is associated with favorable outcomes for most lesions; however, efficacy appears significantly reduced in LMS bifurcations, and further research is needed before the technique can be routinely recommended in this group. Furthermore, the incidence of possible stent thrombosis is of concern and requires further investigation. Kissing balloon post-dilatation is mandatory to reduce side branch restenosis.
We report a new stenting technique employed in 20 consecutive patients to treat true bifurcation lesions using the Cypher stent (Cordis, Warren, NJ). Both stents are advanced at the site of the bifurcation. The proximal marker of the side-branch stent must be situated in the main branch at a distance of 4-5 mm proximal to the carina of the bifurcation and the main branch stent must cover the bifurcation as well as the protruding segment of the side-branch stent. The side-branch stent is deployed first and balloon and wire are removed. The stent deployed in the main branch completely covers and crushes the protruding segment of the side branch stent against the vessel wall of the main branch. Following main- and side-branch predilatation, stents were successfully deployed in all lesions. Final kissing balloon inflation was performed in seven patients. Two patients had in-hospital myocardial infarction and one patient underwent in-hospital re-PTCA due to a dissection distal to a stent. No other major adverse cardiac events were observed in-hospital and during 1-month clinical follow-up. Treatment of bifurcation lesions using crushing stent technique is feasible with acceptable rate of procedural complications. Angiographic follow-up is necessary to prove the advantage of this specific technique to give complete coverage of the ostium of the side branch with a drug-eluting stent.
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