Feasibility and clinical outcomes of rotational atherectomy for heavily-calcified side branches of complex coronary bifurcation lesions in the real-world practice of the drug-eluting stent era.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the outcomes of rotational atherectomy for heavily-calcified side branches of coronary bifurcation lesions.

BACKGROUND

Side-branch (SB) preservation is clinically important but technically challenging in heavily-calcified non-left main true bifurcation lesions. SB rotational atherectomy (SB RA) is sometimes mandatory but the clinical outcomes are not well studied.

METHODS

We retrospectively studied the outcomes of patients who underwent RA at our institute for heavily calcified, balloon-uncrossable or-undilatable SB lesions over an approximately 5-year period (January 2011 to September 2016).

RESULTS

Two hundred and forty-four patients underwent main vessel only RA (SB-MV + RA group) and another 48 patients underwent SB RA (SB + MV ± RA group) for 49 side branches. The demographic variables were comparable between the two groups. However, patients underwent SB RA experienced more SB perforations and greater acute contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN). Among the SB RA patients, 30 (62.5%) underwent RA for both SB and MV (SB + MV + RA subgroup), whereas the other 18 underwent SB only RA (SB + MV-RA subgroup). Patients in these two subgroups could be completed with similar procedural, fluoroscopic durations, and contrast doses. The long-term MACE rate of SB RA was 27.1% over a mean follow-up period of 25.1 months with no differences between the two subgroups.

CONCLUSIONS

RA for SB preservation in complex and heavily-calcified bifurcation lesions was feasible with high success rate and quite favorable long-term outcomes in the drug-eluting stent (DES) era. Given the higher rates in SB perforation and acute CIN, we recommend that SB RA should be conducted by experienced operators.