EFFECTS OF PROBUCOL AND CILOSTAZOL ALONE AND IN COMBINATION ON FREQUENCY OF POSTSTENTING RESTENOSIS

The present study was conducted to assess the preventive effect of com bined treatment with probucol, an antioxidant, and cilostazol, a phosp hodiesterase inhibitor, against poststenting restenosis. Study patient s were randomized to 4 modality groups 1 week before stenting: control , probucol (500 mg/day), cilostazol (200 mg/day), and probucol plus ci lostazol. Treatment on these modalities was conducted from 5 present d ays until the poststenting follow-up evaluation (6 poststenting months ). All patients received aspirin (81 mg/day). The efficacy of each mod ality against restenosis was evaluated in a total 126 patients with 16 5 coronary arterial lesions, using a quantitative method. The decrease in luminal diameter at the poststenting follow-up was 1.04 +/-: 0.57 mm for controls, 0.88 +/- 0.82 mm for those taking probucol, 0.61 +/- 0.59 mm for those taking cilostazol (p <0.05 vs control), and 0.40 +/- 0.52 mm (p <0.01 vs control) for the combined treatment group. Resten osis rate per segment was 31.7% for controls, 16.7% for the probucol g roup, 12.5% for the cilostazol group (p <0.05 vs control), and 9.5% fo r the combined treatment group (9 <0.05 vs the control). Neither morta lity, myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, or coronary bypass surg ery, nor any serious complications were observed in the combined treat ment group, Combined treatment with probucol and cilostazol has thus p roved safe and effective in preventing acute poststenting complication s and suppressing chronic restenosis. (C) 1998 by Excerpta Medico, Inc .