title: Routine stenting vs. balloon angioplasty in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction due to proximal left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Primary angioplasty has been shown to improve the outcome in selected patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. However, no data have been reported of patients with proximal left anterior descending artery occlusion. In the Zwolle-6 randomized trial, a total of 1683 consecutive patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction were randomized to stenting or balloon angioplasty without any exclusion criteria. The aim of this substudy was to investigate the benefits of coronary stenting as compared to balloon angioplasty in patients with proximal left anterior descending artery occlusion.
  
  
  METHODS
  From April 1997 to October 2001, among a total of 1683 consecutive patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction randomized to stenting or balloon angioplasty before the initial angiography, a total of 218 patients underwent primary angioplasty of proximal left anterior descending artery occlusion. One-year follow-up data were available from all patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 107 patients were randomized to stent and 111 patients to balloon angioplasty. The cross-over rates from balloon to stent and stent to balloon were 35.1 and 13.1%, respectively (P<0.0001). The groups were comparable in terms of postprocedural thrombolysis in myocardial infarction flow, myocardial blush grade, distal embolization, and ST-segment resolution. Stenting was associated with benefits in terms of restenosis (27.6 vs. 53.8%, P=0.03) and target vessel revascularization (15.0 vs. 24.3%, P=0.081), whereas no difference was observed in mortality (11.2 vs. 13.5%, P>0.1) and reinfarction (11.2 vs. 8.1%, P>0.1) as compared with balloon angioplasty.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As compared with balloon angioplasty, routine stenting does reduce angiographic restenosis, without significant benefits in terms of death and reinfarction among patients undergoing primary angioplasty for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction due to proximal left anterior descending artery occlusion.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology and Centro di Biotecnologie per la Ricerca Medica Applicata (BRMA), Eastern Piedmont University, Novara, Italy. Giuseppe.deluca@med.unipm.it
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Luca
authors.forename: Harry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suryapranata
authors.forename: Arnoud W J
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: van't Hof
authors.forename: Jan Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Ottervanger
authors.forename: Jan C A
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Hoorntje
authors.forename: Jan-Henk
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Dambrink
authors.forename: A T Marcel
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Gosselink
authors.forename: Menko-Jan
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: de Boer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000401:mortality; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D054059:Coronary Occlusion / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D023903:Coronary Restenosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D015607:Stents; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome