title: Clinical trials in interventional cardiology.
abstract: Several well-designed, randomized trials and registries have recently been completed in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for the treatment of symptomatic coronary artery disease. These studies have further clarified the value of newer pharmacologic and mechanical approaches to patients with atherosclerotic disease and have resulted in improved clinical outcomes in patients undergoing PCI. As a result, many of the older paradigms of lesion-specific device selection have been revised to include the intricate balance of devices and drugs, tailored to the specific clinical presentation and lesion morphology in patients undergoing PCI. This article reviews several recent clinical trials and discusses their impact on early and late outcomes in patients undergoing PCI for symptomatic coronary artery disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine (Cardiology Division) of the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. jjpopma@bics.bwh.harvard.edu
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Popma
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Piana
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Prpic
mesh_terms: D002309:Cardiology / Q000379:methods*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D009204:Myocardial Revascularization; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome