Cutting-balloon angioplasty effectively facilitates the interventional procedure and leads to a low rate of recurrent stenosis in ostial bifurcation coronary lesions: A subgroup analysis of the NICECUT multicenter registry.
BACKGROUND
Displacement of plaque is a major concern during coronary intervention of ostial bifurcation lesions. For this reason, angioplasty involves complex stenting procedures, which may trigger development of restenosis in a previously non-diseased parent vessel.


OBJECTIVE
To examine, whether plaque displacement may be prevented by scoring atherosclerotic plaque with a cutting-balloon (CB) stand-alone procedure.


METHODS
Data of patients with Duke E and B type ostial bifurcation lesions (>/=70% stenosis involving a diagonal and/or marginal branch >2 mm deriving from a non-diseased parent vessel), who were treated with CB as stand-alone procedure within the prospective NICECUT multicenter trial were analyzed. Primary endpoint was the rate of binary stenosis and target lesion revascularization (TLR). Secondary endpoints were procedural success and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 6-months follow-up.


RESULTS
63 out of 65 lesions (56 patients) were successfully amenable to treatment with CB (96.4% procedural success). 76.9% of patients were successfully treated with CB as a stand-alone procedure, while provisional stenting was necessary in 23.1%. At follow-up, binary stenosis was found in 23.2%, among the total population. Total rate of TLR and MACE were 7.7% and 3.6%, respectively, compared to 4.0% and 2.0% in patients for whom CB stand-alone procedure was feasible, while it was 20.0% and 6.7% for stented lesions.


CONCLUSIONS
CB angioplasty as a stand-alone procedure may facilitate interventional treatment of ostial bifurcation lesions and may help to avoid complex stenting procedures. It is associated with a low rate of binary stenosis and TLR.
Dahm
Johannes B
JB
Department of Cardiology-Angiology, Heart and Vascular Center Neu-Bethlehem, Göttingen, Germany. dahm@herz-gefaesszentrum.org
Dörr
Marcus
M
Scholz
Elisabeth
E
Ruppert
Jörg
J
Hummel
Astrid
A
Staudt
Alexander
A
Felix
Stephan B
SB
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary / Q000379:methods*; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D023903:Coronary Restenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome