Assessment of intravascular ultrasound-bearing balloon catheter-guided percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and stenting.

To investigate the usefulness of an intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-bearing balloon catheter, we analyzed results in 17 patients with 19 lesions who underwent percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) with IVUS-bearing balloon catheters (group A) and 25 patients with 28 lesions who underwent PTCA without IVUS (group B). The patients had angina pectoris with or without old myocardial infarction. The success rate (less than 50% residual stenosis on coronary angiography) in group A was 17/17 patients (100%) and 19/19 lesions (100%), and that in group B was 21/25 patients (84%) and 24/28 lesions (86%) (NS). The percent stenosis, by coronary angiography, in groups A and B was 71.3% and 76.8% before PTCA (NS) and 4.8% and 22.3% in groups A and B after PTCA (P = 0.005). Complication rates in the two groups were not significantly different, but non-Q myocardial infarction was observed in one patient with a type C lesion (according to the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology [AHA/ACC] classification) in group A. Postdilation of Wiktor stents was determined by IVUS in four patients. These results suggest that the IVUS-bearing balloon catheter is useful to achieve larger lumen size for optimal PTCA.