Objectives: To evaluate whether or not to treat diagonal branches interventionally while implanting sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) in left anterior descending artery (LAD).
Background: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures are complicated, especially in the case of a bifurcation lesion. The complicated strategy of PCI may increase the quantity of contrast medium, fluoroscopy time, and the number of devices.
Methods: We retrospectively included 35 patients with stable angina who were treated with SES between July 2005 and December 2006. They had 40 LAD/diagonal branch bifurcation lesions. The diagonal branches had a diameter greater than 1.5 mm. We finished the procedure without inflating diagonal branches when their flow showed thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grade 3, even if the ostium of the branches had severe stenosis. Follow-up angiographies were performed 6 months later. The LAD and ostium of diagonal branches were evaluated according to the quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) measurements.
Results: The percent diameter stenosis (%DS) of the ostium of diagonal branches was worse post-PCI than at baseline (P = 0.0101). When comparing the follow-up values with the baseline values, there were no significant differences. Additionally, follow-up values were significantly better than the post-PCI values (P = 0.0016). There was no hospitalization for heart failure, angina, or cardiac death. There was only one restenosis in LAD at follow-up, and no diagonal branch became totally occluded or delayed.
Conclusions: In the diagonal branches, the minimal lumen diameter decreased and diameter stenosis progressed temporarily; however, both parameters recovered at the time of follow-up.