title: Primary direct stenting versus endoscopic atraumatic coronary artery bypass surgery in patients with proximal stenosis of the left anterior descending coronary artery--a prospective, randomised study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The dynamic development of interventional cardiology resulted in an increasing proportion of patients treated with various forms of coronary angioplasty instead of surgery. On the other hand, it has been well established that the results of coronary artery by-pass surgery of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery with the use of the internal mammary artery are excellent.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare the results of primary direct stenting (PDS) and endoscopic atraumatic coronary artery bypass (EACAB) surgery in patients with an isolated proximal LAD type A or B1 lesion.
  
  
  METHODS
  This prospective and randomised study included 100 patients with an isolated critical (> or =70%) LAD stenosis who underwent PDS (n=50) or EACAB (n=50).
  
  
  RESULTS
  After a six-month follow-up period, 32 (64%) PDS patients and 47 (94%) EACAB patients were angina-free. The rate of major cardiac adverse events (MACE) was significantly higher in the PDS group than in surgically treated patients (p<0.05). After one year of follow-up, 40 (80%) PDS-treated patients and all 50 EACAB patients had no recurrences of angina. After two-year follow-period, the survival rate without MACE was significantly higher in the EACAB group than in the PDS-treated patients (94% vs 76%, p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Minimally invasive cardiac surgery is an alternative method to direct stenting in the treatment of patients with proximal LAD stenosis.
authors.affiliation: 1st Department of Cardiac Surgery, Silesian Medical Academy, Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cisowski
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Drzewiecka-Gerber
authors.forename: Rafał
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ulczok
authors.forename: Rafik
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Abu Samra
authors.forename: Janusz
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Drzewiecki
authors.forename: Michał
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guzy
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trusz-Gluza
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bochenek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017546:Angioscopy / Q000379:methods*; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000379:methods*; D023921:Coronary Stenosis / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015607:Stents; D016896:Treatment Outcome