No abstract

Colchicine, an antimitogenic agent, has shown promise in preventing restenosis after coronary angioplasty in experimental animal models. A prospective trial was conducted involving 197 patients randomized in a 2:1 fashion to treatment with oral colchicine, 0.6 mg twice daily (130 patients), or placebo (67 patients) for 6 months after elective coronary angioplasty. Treatment in all patients began between 12 h before angioplasty and 24 h after angioplasty. Compliance monitoring revealed that 96% of all prescribed pills were ingested. Demographic characteristics were similar in colchicine- and placebo-treated groups. A mean of 2.7 lesions/patient were dilated. Side effects resulted in a 6.9% dropout rate in the colchicine-treated patients. Complete quantitative angiographic follow-up was obtained in 145 patients (74%) with 393 dilated lesions. Quantitative angiographic measurements were obtained in two orthogonal views at baseline before angioplasty and immediately and at 6 months after angioplasty. The quantitative mean lumen diameter stenosis before angioplasty was 67% both in the 152 lesions in the placebo-treated group and in the 241 lesions in the colchicine-treated group; this value was reduced to 24% immediately after angioplasty in the lesions in both treatment groups. At the 6-month angiogram, lesions had restenosed to 47% lumen diameter narrowing in the placebo-treated group compared with 46% in the colchicine-treated group (p = NS). Forty-one percent of colchicine-treated patients developed restenosis in at least one lesion compared with 45% of the placebo-treated group (p = NS). In conclusion, colchicine was ineffective for preventing restenosis after coronary angioplasty.

This study analyzes the results of angioplasty in 905 consecutive patients with 971 total occlusions. The procedures were performed by five cardiologists from January 1980 to January 1989 at one institution. The overall success rate per lesion was 72%. Even the most experienced operator (524 occlusions attempted) has continued to improve on a learning curve, with 83% of his most recent 100 occlusions successfully dilated. Procedural death occurred in seven patients (0.8%), five patients (0.6%) sustained a myocardial infarction and seven patients (0.8%) required urgent coronary bypass surgery. Complications were significantly more likely to occur in the elderly, in women and in patients with triple vessel disease and depressed left ventricular function. Compared with angioplasty in 6,950 patients with nonoccluded stenoses, angioplasty of total occlusions had a lower success rate (72% versus 96%, p = 0.001), although the complication rate was also lower (1.9% versus 3.5%, p = 0.01). Multivariate analysis of 20 clinical and angiographic variables in 100 consecutive patients undergoing angioplasty of 104 total occlusions in 1988 identified only bridging collateral vessels (85% success rate if absent versus 18% if present, p less than 0.001) and a tapered occlusion morphology (88% success rate if present versus 59% if absent, p = 0.01) as independent correlates of procedural outcome. Other variables, including the estimated duration of occlusion, lesion length and location, and extent of disease were unrelated to technical success. With present techniques and sufficient operator experience, 70% to 80% of total occlusions can be successfully recanalized by coronary angioplasty with a complication rate of less than 2%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)