title: Determinants of stent restenosis in chronic coronary occlusions assessed by intracoronary ultrasound.
abstract: Chronic coronary occlusions have a high recurrence rate that can be reduced by stenting, but this rate remains higher than in nonocclusive lesions. To analyze possible determinants of restenosis in these lesions, intracoronary ultrasound was performed during the recanalization procedure. A chronic coronary occlusion of > or = 1 month duration (range 1 to 33 months; median 3.3) was successfully recanalized in 41 patients. Quantitative ultrasound analysis was performed before and after stent placement, with measurement of the luminal area, the extent of the plaque burden at the site proximal and distal to the occlusion, and within the occlusion and the subsequent stent. The degree of compensatory enlargement of the coronary artery within the occlusion was determined by comparing the average of the total vessel area of the proximal and distal reference with the lesion site. Early reocclusion (subacute stent thrombosis) was observed in 1 patient (2.4%). The angiographic control after 6 months showed restenosis in 9 patients with 1 late reocclusion. The overall recurrence rate was 24%. There was no difference in clinical and procedural characteristics between lesions with restenosis and without restenosis. The latter had a larger minimum stent area (7.59 +/- 1.96 mm2 vs 5.71 +/- 0.90 mm2; p <0.01), and there was evidence for more compensatory vessel enlargement in lesions without restenosis. Thus, intracoronary ultrasound showed that a smaller minimum stent area was a major predictor of angiographic restenosis, and it occurred more often in occlusions without compensatory vessel enlargement.
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Internal Medicine III, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Germany. gwerner1@gwdg.de
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gastmann
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Scholz
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schünemann
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Figulla
mesh_terms: D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006083:Graft Occlusion, Vascular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D012449:Safety; D015607:Stents / Q000009:adverse effects; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional; D014741:Video Recording
chemical_list: D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents