title: Long-term follow-up of PTCA of the right coronary artery with shepherd's crook morphology.
abstract: The authors evaluated the long-term outcome of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) of the right coronary artery in patients with shepherd's crook morphology (51 patients) compared to a control group (53 patients) matched for lesion location, date of procedure, age, and gender. The primary success rate was lower (86% v 98%; P = .03) in the shepherd's crook group than in the control group. At a mean follow-up of 29 months, there was one death in each group. The restenosis rate was 18% in the shepherd's crook group and 21% in the control group; repeat PTCA (14% v 15%) and bypass surgery (2% v 6%) rates were also similar in both groups. The data suggest that PTCA of right coronary arteries with shepherd's crook morphology has a significantly lower primary success rate but similar long-term outcome when compared to PTCA of right coronary arteries without this anatomic variation.
authors: E M
authors: EM
authors: Tuzcu
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Simpfendorfer
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Gossman
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Badwhar
mesh_terms: D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans