Temporal changes in characteristics, treatment strategies, and outcomes of coronary bifurcation lesion interventions

Coronary bifurcations treated with thin-strut drug-eluting stents: a prespecified analysis of the randomized BIO-RESORT trial

BACKGROUND

Treatment of a coronary bifurcation lesion is often required in routine clinical practice, but data on the performance of very thin-strut biodegradable polymer drug-eluting stents are scarce.

METHODS

Comparison of biodegradable polymer and durable polymer drug-eluting stents in an all comers population (BIO-RESORT) is a prospective, multicenter randomized clinical trial that included 3514 all-comer patients, who were randomized to very thin-strut biodegradable polymer-coated sirolimus- or everolimus-eluting stents, versus thin-strut durable polymer-coated zotarolimus-eluting stents. The approach of bifurcation stenting was left at the operator's discretion, and provisional stenting was generally preferred. This prespecified analysis assessed 3-year clinical outcome of all patients in whom treatment involved at least one bifurcation with a side-branch diameter ≥1.5 mm.

RESULTS

Of all BIO-RESORT trial participants, 1236 patients were treated in bifurcation lesions and analyzed. Single- and two-stent techniques were used in 85.8% and 14.2%, respectively. 'True' bifurcation lesions (main vessel and side-branch obstructed) were treated in 31.1%. Three-year follow-up was available in 1200/1236 (97.1%) patients. The main endpoint target vessel failure (composite of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, or target vessel revascularization) occurred in sirolimus-eluting stents in 42/412 (10.3%) and in zotarolimus-eluting stents in 49/409 (12.1%) patients (P-logrank = 0.40). In everolimus-eluting stents, target vessel failure occurred in 40/415 (9.8%) patients (vs. zotarolimus-eluting stents: P-logrank = 0.26). There was no between-stent difference in individual components of target vessel failure. Findings were consistent in patients with single-vessel treatment and patients treated with a single-stent technique.

CONCLUSIONS

Three years after stenting all-comers with bifurcation lesions, clinical outcome was similar with the sirolimus-eluting and everolimus-eluting stents versus the zotarolimus-eluting stent.

Association of Side-Branch Treatment and Patient Factors in Left Anterior Descending Artery True Bifurcation Lesions: Analysis from the GRAND-DES Pooled Registry

Methods

Patients undergoing PCI to left anterior descending (LAD) bifurcation lesions with contemporary DES were analyzed from a nationwide registry. Baseline risk was assessed using the Age, Creatinine, and Ejection Fraction (ACEF) score. Target lesion failure (TLF), a composite of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization, was assessed at 3 years.

Results

Among 1,089 patients with LAD bifurcation lesions, 548 (50.3%) patients underwent SB treatment. The SB treatment group showed a nonsignificant, but numerically lower rate of 3-year TLF (6.6% vs. 9.2%, HR 0.75, 95%CI 0.44–1.28, p = 0.29). In patients with low pretreatment risk (ACEF<1.22), SB treatment was associated with a lower rate of 3-year TLF (HR 0.43, 95%CI 0.19–0.96, p = 0.04), while no significant difference was observed in patients with high risk (ACEF≥1.22). The difference in the low risk group was mostly driven by target lesion revascularization (HR 0.24, 95%CI 0.08–0.75, p = 0.01).

Conclusions

SB treatment for LAD bifurcation lesions showed favorable long-term outcomes compared with main-branch-only intervention, especially in patients with low pretreatment risk.

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Coronary Bifurcation Lesions: Latest Evidence

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This paper provides a synopsis of the best evidence to guide bifurcation percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), with a focus on recent studies. This is with the aim of guiding the interventional cardiologist in choosing the best, evidence-based technique, to treat commonly encountered coronary bifurcations.

RECENT FINDINGS

Current evidence supports the use of provisional stenting for most anatomically suitable bifurcation lesions. Newer techniques for side branch protection in provisional stenting have been developed. When a two-stent strategy is required, use of a double-kissing crush technique is favoured, particularly in left main bifurcations. For bifurcation PCI, as in all complex procedures, intravascular imaging plays a key adjunctive role in improving procedural success. PCI for coronary bifurcation lesions is an ever-growing field with significant advancements in techniques and technology.