BACKGROUND: Drug-eluting stents (DES) have reduced the need for repeat revascularization in coronary bifurcation lesions. However, late follow-up and the most adequate strategy (one stent vs. two stents) have not been well established. METHODS: From June 2002 to December 2006, 156 consecutive patients underwent drug-eluting stent implantation to treat coronary bifurcation lesions. The rates of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) - death, myocardial infarction, and target-vessel revascularization (TVR) - and stent thrombosis were compared according to the strategy adopted (one-stent: main branch vs. twostents: main branch and side branch). RESULTS: The mean age of the group was 64 ± 12 years; 75.6% of the patients were men and 28.8% were diabetic. The mean follow-up duration was 2.4 ± 1.3 years. The one-stent strategy was used in 67.3% of the patients. 64.7% of the lesions treated were true bifurcations. The two-stent techniques strategy were used in 32.7% of the cases (crush: 14.7%; cullote: 3.2%; T-stenting: 10.3%; simultaneous kissing stent: 3.8%; V-stenting: 0.6%). Final kissing balloon inflation was used in 85.9% of the cases. The combined event-free survival was estimated to be 95% with the one-stent strategy vs. 86% with the two-stent strategy (p Log Rank = 0.03). Multivariate analysis identified the two-stent strategy as the only independent predictor of MACE (OR: 2.82; IC 95%:1.04-7.68; p = 0.04). Stent thrombosis rates using one stent was 1.9% vs. 3.9% using two stents; p = 0.6). CONCLUSIONS: Drug-eluting stenting for coronary bifurcation lesions has shown low rates of combined events during long-term follow-up. The use of the two-stent strategy was associated with a higher rate of MACE, although this is a more complex subgroup.
Drug-eluting stents; Angioplasty, transluminal, percutaneous coronary; Treatment outcome; Coronary stenosis
