title: DES implantation in saphenous vein and left internal mammary grafts.
abstract: Forty percent of patients treated with CABG need further revascularizations after 10 years mainly due to saphenous--more than arterial--graft disease. In this issue, the Authors make a critical review of current available literature on the treatment of saphenous and arterial graft disease, a subset of lesions for which a clear consensus for DES use is still lacking. The Authors examine both the positive and negative aspects of DES use in this setting. Percutaneous revascularizations with DES are feasible and safe. The antiproliferative properties of DES seem to be effective even in the treatment of bypass disease, in particular in saphenous grafts. The clinical efficacy of a treatment with DES is expressed mainly in the reduction of in-stent restenosis and, therefore, in the rates of target lesion revascularization (TLR). Moreover, the use of DES is not associated to higher rates of stent thrombosis and, in case of reintervention, recurrence rates seem to be limited. However, the benefit provided by DES in prevention of restenosis may be limited by the progression of the disease in other segments than those treated with stents. Percutaneous treatment of arterial bypass with DES is feasible and safe. Most of available data on DES are on anastomotic disease (data on bypass ostium and shaft are too scarce to draw any conclusion). In this case, where the use of stents is imperative, there is no evidence of advantages gained by the use of DES over BMS in terms of new revascularizations. Some unanswered questions on DES use in this setting still remain. For this reason new randomized trials are required to definitively give a reliable answer on DES efficacy in this subset of lesions.
authors.affiliation: Operative Unit of Invasive Cardiology, Humanitas Clinical Institute, IRCCS, Rozzano, Milan, Italy. patrizia.presbitero@humanitas.it
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Presbitero
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zavalloni
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pagnotta
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Belli
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Gasparini
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lisignoli
mesh_terms: D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary / Q000379:methods; D023903:Coronary Restenosis / Q000628:therapy*; D054855:Drug-Eluting Stents; D006083:Graft Occlusion, Vascular / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007387:Internal Mammary-Coronary Artery Anastomosis / Q000009:adverse effects; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome