ANGIOPLASTY IN THE STENT ERA - RESULTS OF A CONSECUTIVE SERIES OF PATIENTS UNDERGOING CORONARY ANGIOPLASTY WITHOUT SURGICAL BACKUP

We prospectively studied the angiographic and clinical outcome in a gr oup of 117 consecutive patients (140 vessels) undergoing coronary angi oplasty in the stent ERA without surgical backup. There were no exclus ion criteria. Intracoronary stents were deployed in 36 vessels (26%) e ither as a bailout procedure or for a suboptimal result following ball oon angioplasty. Procedural success was achieved in 126 vessels in 108 patients (90%). Two patients developed Q:-wave myocardial infarction and another two developed nonQ myocardial infarction. One patient died suddenly 2 days following an initially successful procedure. No patie nt was referred for emergency coronary artery bypass grafting and ther e were no vascular complications. Clinical or angiographic follow up w as available in 87% of the patients and an angiographic follow up in 5 0% of the patients. At a median angiographic follow up of 210 days res tenosis was seen in 34% of the vessels. Restenosis occurred in three o f the 21 (14%) I;tented vessels and in 18 of the 41 (44%) nonstented v essels (P<0.02). Conclusion: In the stent era, coronary angioplasty ca n be safely performed without surgical backup. A satisfactory immediat e and long-term result could be achieved by stenting 26% of the vessel s. (C) 1998 Elsevier science Ireland Ltd.