title: Long-term (> 3 years) clinical and angiographic outcomes of coronary multilink stent implantations: a single center experience.
abstract: The ACS Multilink (ML) stent is a novel second-generation stent. The largest amount of information available on the long-term outcome of coronary stenting is based on the use of Palmaz-Schatz stents. Fewer data exist on long-term follow-up results of ML coronary stents implantations. The authors present the long-term (> 3 years) clinical and angiographic follow-up results of the ACS Multilink coronary stents implanted in their institution. From May 1996 to December 1997, 125 patients underwent 133 coronary ML stent implantations. Stented vessels were as follows: 49% left anterior descending artery, 31% right coronary artery, and 20% left circumflex coronary artery. Indications for stent implantations were elective in 64%, because of suboptimal result from percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in 26%, and bailout from PTCA in 10% of patients. The mean reference diameter of stented vessels was 3.2 +/- 0.2 mm. The mean percentage stenosis was 80 +/- 11% and 3 +/- 5% before and after stent implantation, respectively. Long-term clinical follow-up was completed in 75% (80 men, mean age 53 +/- 10 years) of the patients (either by interview or phone), and angiographic follow-up (37 +/- 12 months) was completed in 58% of the patients. There were no baseline clinical or angiographic differences between those angiographically followed up and the remaining patients. Angiographic restenosis (> 50% diameter stenosis) was detected in 22% of stents. Target lesion revascularization was 12%, nontarget lesion revascularization was 14% in angiographically followed up patients. During the follow-up period death and new myocardial infarction occurred in 12% and 6% of patients, respectively, and survival rate was 88%. This study provides long-term follow-up results of intracoronary Multilink stent implantations for native coronary artery lesions. These data show that clinical and angiographic benefits of ML stents are comparable to those of the first-generation stents, especially to the Palmaz-Schatz stents, of which results have been reported previously. A considerable rate of nontarget lesion revascularization occurs during the follow-up period.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Kosuyolu Heart and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. sonmezk@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Kenan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sonmez
authors.forename: Fikret
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Turan
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gencbay
authors.forename: Muzaffer
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Degertekin
authors.forename: Nilufer E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Duran
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D023903:Coronary Restenosis / Q000209:etiology; D018450:Disease Progression; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000209:etiology; D009204:Myocardial Revascularization; D012307:Risk Factors; D015607:Stents; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome