Differences in Vessel Healing Between Sirolimus- and Everolimus-Eluting Stent Implantation for Bifurcation Lesions: The J-REVERSE Optical Coherence Tomography Substudy

Outcome of a polymer-free drug-coated coronary stent in bifurcation lesions-Pilot registry with serial OCT imaging

BACKGROUND

Polymer-free and carrier-free drug-coated stents (DCS) represent a novel therapeutic option for the treatment of coronary artery disease. The objective of this pilot registry is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of DCS implantation in bifurcation lesions.

METHODS

Overall, 23 consecutive patients with 24 lesions received a Biolimus A9-coated DCS for coronary bifurcation lesions. Patients were examined with quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) at 3-6 months of follow-up.

RESULTS

A total of 23 patients with 24 bifurcation lesions were included in this study. Nine (33.3%) lesions of eight patients revealed angiographical target lesion failure due to in-stent restenosis (ISR). In total, 19 patients with 20 bifurcation lesions were suitable for OCT analysis. A total of 2936 struts were analyzed and 14 struts (0.47%) were classified as malapposed. The mean luminal area (mm2) was not different in lesions with ISR vs. lesions with no ISR (5.07 ± 2.0 vs. 5.73 ± 1.34, p = 0.39) at follow-up. Lesions with ISR showed higher mean neointimal burden (27.11 ± 10.59 vs. 13.93 ± 9.16%, respectively; p = 0.009). All of the patients who presented with significant ISR required percutaneous re-intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

We observed a high rate of DCS ISR in bifurcation lesions, possibly related to increased inflammation and neoatherosclerosis. The small size of the study warrants careful interpretation of our results. Larger trials are necessary to expand knowledge of these findings.

Vascular healing after kissing balloon inflation: Nine-month 3D optical coherence tomography analysis in corelab

Background

The jailing strut configuration with link-free and distal guidewire recrossing (LFD) at the side branch orifice (SBO) reduces incomplete stent apposition (ISA) after kissing balloon technique (KBT) in crossover stenting of coronary bifurcation lesions (CBLs). However, data regarding vascular healing after KBT are lacking. We investigated vascular healing 9 months after crossover stenting followed by KBT with optical coherence tomography (OCT) guidance in a prospective multicenter registry.

Methods

Fifty-nine patients with CBLs (LFD, 35 patients; non-LFD, 24 patients) were studied. The jailing configuration of the SB and the wire-recrossing position, incidence of ISA and uncovered struts, and neointima unevenness score (NUS) in the main vessel (MV) after 9 months were determined by off-line 3D-OCT in the core laboratory.

Results

The ISA rate was significantly higher at the SB ostium and distal MV after KBT in the non-LFD group, compared to the LFD group. After 9 months, incidence of ISA (18.3 ± 18.2 vs. 6.0 ± 8.7%, p < 0.01) and uncovered struts (8.7 ± 9.9 vs. 4.7 ± 7.3 %, p = 0.08) were higher at the SB ostium with higher SB restenosis in the non-LFD group. In distal MV, NUS was significantly higher (3.1 ± 1.1 vs. 2.5 ± 0.6, p < 0.05). In true-CBLs, an increase in uncovered struts and ISA rate was prominent in the proximal MV and opposite SB. No differences were observed in the 9-month clinical outcomes.

Conclusion

Visualization of the wire recrossing point and the SB-jailing strut pattern by OCT plays an important role to optimize the KBT in CBL stenting, resulting in favorable mid-term vascular healing.

Randomised comparison of provisional side branch stenting versus a two-stent strategy for treatment of true coronary bifurcation lesions involving a large side branch: the Nordic-Baltic Bifurcation Study IV

Background

It is still uncertain whether coronary bifurcations with lesions involving a large side branch (SB) should be treated by stenting the main vessel and provisional stenting of the SB (simple) or by routine two-stent techniques (complex). We aimed to compare clinical outcome after treatment of lesions in large bifurcations by simple or complex stent implantation.

Methods

The study was a randomised, superiority trial. Enrolment required a SB≥2.75 mm, ≥50% diameter stenosis in both vessels, and allowed SB lesion length up to 15 mm. The primary endpoint was a composite of cardiac death, non-procedural myocardial infarction and target lesion revascularisation at 6 months. Two-year clinical follow-up was included in this primary reporting due to lower than expected event rates.

Results

A total of 450 patients were assigned to simple stenting (n=221) or complex stenting (n=229) in 14 Nordic and Baltic centres. Two-year follow-up was available in 218 (98.6%) and 228 (99.5%) patients, respectively. The primary endpoint of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 6 months was 5.5% vs 2.2% (risk differences 3.2%, 95% CI -0.2 to 6.8, p=0.07) and at 2 years 12.9% vs 8.4% (HR 0.63, 95% CI 0.35 to 1.13, p=0.12) after simple versus complex treatment. In the subgroup treated by newer generation drug-eluting stents, MACE was 12.0% vs 5.6% (HR 0.45, 95% CI 0.17 to 1.17, p=0.10) after simple versus complex treatment.

Conclusion

In the treatment of bifurcation lesions involving a large SB with ostial stenosis, routine two-stent techniques did not improve outcome significantly compared with treatment by the simpler main vessel stenting technique after 2 years.

Trial registration number

NCT01496638.

Early and Mid-Term Vascular Responses to Optical Coherence Tomography-Guided Everolimus-Eluting Stent Implantation in Stable Coronary Artery Disease

BACKGROUND

Analysis of pooled clinical data has shown the safety of 3 months of dual antiplatelet therapy with everolimus-eluting cobalt-chromium stents (Co-Cr EESs). This study evaluated early and mid-term vascular responses to Co-Cr EESs in patients with stable coronary artery disease.

METHODS

The Multicenter Comparison of Early and Late Vascular Responses to Everolimus-Eluting Cobalt-Chromium Stent and Platelet Aggregation Studies in Patients With Stable Angina Managed as Elective Case (MECHANISM-Elective) study (NCT02014818) is a multicenter optical coherence tomography (OCT) registry. Enrolled patients were evaluated by OCT immediately after everolimus-eluting stent implantation were prospectively allocated to 1 month (n = 50) or 3 months (n = 50) OCT follow-up and then received a 12-month OCT evaluation. The incidences of intrastent thrombus (IS-Th) and irregular protrusion (IRP) were also assessed.

RESULTS

The percentage of uncovered struts was 6.4% ± 10.3% at 1 month (P < 0.001 vs. postprocedure) and 0.5% ± 0.9% at 12 months (P < 0.001 vs. 1 month). The corresponding values in the 3-month cohort were 2.0% ± 2.5% (P < 0.001 vs. postprocedure) and 0.5% ± 1.5% (P < 0.001 vs. 3 months). The incidence of IS-Th was 32.7% at 1 month, 5.4% at 3 months, and 2.0% at 12 months. IRP was observed in 21.8% of patients post-EES but had totally resolved at 1, 3, and 12 months.

CONCLUSION

Early and mid-term vascular reactions after Co-Cr EES implantation in stable patients with coronary artery disease in the MECHANISM-Elective included dynamic resolution of IS-Th and IRP and rapid decrease in uncovered struts. Thus, EES may allow shortening of dual antiplatelet therapy duration less than 3 months in this patient subset.

Difference in vascular response between sirolimus-eluting- and everolimus-eluting stents in ostial left circumflex artery after unprotected left main as observed by optical coherence tomography

BACKGROUND

Kissing-balloon technique (KBT) is commonly performed during percutaneous coronary intervention of distal unprotected left main coronary artery (ULM) aiming at obtaining optimal opening of the side branch (left circumflex artery; LCX) ostium. Nonetheless, detailed evaluation of vascular response to stents in LCX ostium is lacking. We therefore evaluated the vascular response to different drug-eluting stents (DES) in ostial LCX after ULM by means of optical coherence tomography (OCT).

METHODS

We prospectively enrolled 38 consecutive patients with ULM disease, who were treated with single-stent procedure using DES, crossover the ULM-left anterior descending artery (LAD) followed by KBT. Twelve patients were treated with sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) and 26 patients were treated with everolimus-eluting stents (EES). OCT was conducted at post-PCI and 9-month follow-up. We evaluated the DES-vessel interactions and number of stent struts at the side branch (LCX) ostium (SO) at post-PCI, and compared the narrowing of ostial area at LCX between SES and EES.

RESULTS

Post-procedure, the number of stent struts at SO was significantly higher in SES compared to EES (median 14.47% vs 0.19%, p<0.001). The narrowing of LCX ostial area at follow-up was more pronounced in SES compared with EES (29.16% vs 2.46%, respectively, p<0.001). Linear regression analysis showed a high correlation between the number of stent struts in LCX ostium and ostial area narrowing (r=0.771, p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

OCT showed differences between EES- and SES-vessel interactions at ULM bifurcation PCI. Number of LCX ostium struts at post-PCI impacted the narrowing of ostial area at 9-month follow-up.