Immediate Small Side Branch Occlusion after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Background: Small side branches, albeit less important than their larger counterparts, have not yet received due attention in the literature. Nor has there ever been a comparison between drug-eluting stents and bare metal stents apropos side branch occlusion. The aim of this study was to compare the patency of small (_0.5 and _1.5 mm in diameter) side branches with respect to bare metal vs. drug-eluting stents immediately after their deployment. Methods: This prospective bi-center study, conducted between June 2005 and January 2007, enrolled 82 patients treated with _1 of two stents (TAXUSTM LiberteTM or LiberteTM). Side branches _0.5 and < 1.5 mm in diameter arising from the main vessel at the lesion site were evaluated. Results: Thirty-eight patients were treated with 42 LiberteTM stents (58 side branches) and forty-four patients with 50 TAXUSTM LiberteTM (102 side branches). The rate of small side branch occlusion was 35.3% (36) in the TAXUSTM LiberteTM group compared to 29.31% (15) in the LiberteTM group (P-value= 0.7). The presence of type 1 side branch morphology (Lefevre classi_cation) was the most powerful predictor of small side branch occlusion (P-value=0.03). Conclusion: This study shows that drug-eluting stents are not inferior to bare metal stents as regards small side branch occlusion during coronary stenting.