Predictors of intrastent restenosis in the right coronary artery ostium. The ostium of the right coronary artery (RCA) presents certain histological aspects. Atherosclerotic and fibrotic plaques in this area contain an abundance of smooth muscle, collagen, and a certain degree of calcification, along with thicker adventitia. Additionally, it has certain anatomical aspects such as poor...
Minimal Stent Area: New IVUS Parameter?
Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) has shown, in several studies, its great benefits for both restenosis and mortality reduction. Even though several variables have been studied, so far minimal stent area (MSA) has been disregarded as important. The OPTIVUS-Complex PCI looked at 961 patients with 1,957 lesions, and found 1.6% TLR incidence (30 lesions). There were no...
Frequency and Causes of Mortality in Chronic Total Occlusion
In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) performed to treat chronic total occlusion (CTO). This increase is due to the availability of more advanced technology and greater experience of both operators and specialized centers. However, it is important to note that this technique is not free...
Abbreviated Therapy in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome: How Safe Is Conservative DAPT Treatment?
Abbreviated dual antiplatelet therapy in patients at high risk for bleeding and acute myocardial infarction. Patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who undergo stent placement (percutaneous coronary intervention, PCI) conventionally require at least 12 months of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) to reduce ischemic events. Patients with ACS who are also at high risk for bleeding...
Provisional Stenting vs. Culotte: 5-Year Results of EBC TWO
The optimal treatment of true bifurcation lesions not affecting the left main coronary artery is widely debated. Results from randomized studies have shown neutral or worse outcomes with the two-stent technique. Regarding these studies, researchers used first-generation stents and the secondary branches were small. The EBC TWO study compared the provisional stenting strategy against the...
EuroPCR 2023 | Left Main Coronary Artery Angioplasty: One or Two Stents?
The EBC MAIN LM study randomized 467 patients with severe left main coronary artery (LCA) lesions to receive provisional stenting or a two-sent strategy (Resolute or Onix stent). The two-stent strategy was decided by the operator (culotte, DK-minicrush, T/TAP). The crossover rate from those randomized to provisional stenting was 22%. After a 3-year follow-up, the composite...
EuroPCR 2023 | EBC Two – Provisional Stenting vs Culotte in Bifurcations
MD Sandeep Arunothayaraj presented the 5-year followup of EBC Two (which had not previously shown significant differences in clinical outcomes at 12 months) in patients randomized to provisional stenting vs. systematic culotte in bifurcations that were not left main. The study followed up 200 patients with true bifurcations, side branch ≥2.5mm and lesion length ≥5mm,...
PICCOLETO-II: Drug-Coated Balloons in Small Vessels
Use of drug-coated balloons vs. drug-eluting stents in small caliber vessels. The constant advancements in coronary device technology have significantly reduced complication rates (such as that of restenosis). However, there are gaps where a high number of undesirable events prevail, such as small vessel disease (SVD), for which, in previous studies up, the rate of...
Differences in Events Between MINOCA and MIOCA Patients: Contemporaneous Cohort Analysis
Sex-related MINOCA and MIOCA differences. Several international guidelines recommend invasive treatment after diagnosing an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The first studies that described acute myocardial infarction (AMI) without obstructive epicardial coronary disease reported a 10% incidence rate. Based on this significant prevalence, it was recommended that this diagnosis be classified as MINOCA for patients who...
Clinical Impact of Coronary Artery Disease on Results After TAVR
Coronary artery disease (CAD) coexists with aortic stenosis in about half the patients who suffer the latter. These patients receiving antiplatelet therapy are at a higher risk of periprocedural bleeding—one of the most frequent complications in patients who undergo transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). One way of limiting the risk for bleeding is choosing the...