[Efficacy comparison between drug-eluting stents versus cutting balloon angioplasty followed by bare metal stents for the treatment of ostial lesions of the left anterior descending coronary artery].

OBJECTIVE

To compare the short and long-term clinical and angiographic outcomes of drug-eluting stents (DES) versus cutting balloon angioplasty followed by bare metal stents (CBA + BMS) for the treatment of ostial lesions of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD).

METHODS

A total of 51 consecutive patients with LAD ostial lesions were treated by DES and all patients had completed 2-year clinical follow-up, 50 consecutive patients with LAD ostial lesions treated by CBA + BMS and followed up for 2 years prior to the DES era (May 2000 to November 2003) served as control group.

RESULTS

In DES group, one patient experienced acute myocardial infarction (AMI) during hospitalization, the in-hospital major adverse cardiac event (MACE) was 1.96% (1/51), angiography follow-up data at 6-8 months were available in 29 patients and the in-DES restenosis was 10.3% (3/29), at 2-year clinical follow-up, 1 patient died, 4 patients received target lesion revascularization. Total MACE rate was 9.8% (5/51). In CBA + BMS group, there was no in-hospital death and AMI. Angiographic follow-up at 6-8 months was completed in 28 cases and in-stent restenosis rate was 17.9% (5/28). During 2-year follow-up, there was no death and AMI and 6 patients underwent target lesion revascularization. MACE rate was 12% (6/50) in this group.

CONCLUSION

This study showed that both clinical and angiographic outcomes were comparable between DES and CBA + BMS treated patients with LAD ostial lesions during the 2-year follow up period.