Clinical and Procedural Evaluation of the Nile Croco® Dedicated Stent for Bifurcation – Six-month Clinical Follow-up Results of the Nile Croco Registry

Abstract

A true bifurcated lesion in coronary atherosclerotic disease is present in approximately 15% of patients referred for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). 1 The percutaneous approach to this especially complex scenario has been faced in many different ways depending on the techniques available at any particular time. [2][3][4] In the last few years, the introduction of drug-eluting stents (DES) has remarkably improved the outcome in bifurcation lesions compared with using baremetal stents (BMS), resulting in fewer adverse events and lower main branch (MB) restenosis rates. 5-7 However, the most suitable approach to the side branch (SB) remains uncertain. Although the initial 'provisional' stenting technique (i.e. stenting of the SB after MB stenting only in cases of suboptimal or inadequate result) is probably the prevailing approach, the four stent techniques that allow the stenting of both branches (i.e. crush, V, T, culottes) are appealing. However, even if the strategy of stenting both branches when the SB stenosis is suitable for stenting is promising, data in the literature indicate that clinical outcomes are