Complete fracture of sirolimus-eluting stent in a saphenous vein graft to left anterior descending artery.
Coronary stent fractures have been suggested as a potential new mechanism of restenosis. The mechanical properties of stents were designed not only to prevent vessel recoil, but also to resist the mechanical stress of vessel movement over millions of cardiac cycles. We present a case in which mechanical stress may have contributed to the fracture of a stent implanted in a saphenous vein graft (SVG) to the left coronary artery. The patient was admitted due to chest pain 2 years after receiving a coronary artery bypass graft. A coronary angiography revealed the culprit vessel to be the SVG to the left coronary artery. The graft was stenosed and was stented with a sirolimus-eluting stent. A 6-month follow-up coronary angiography revealed 80% in-stent restenosis with stent fracture. We re-intervened by balloon angioplasty. This is the first report of sirolimus-eluting stent fracture combined with restenosis of SVG in Korea.
Yoo
Sun Hong
SH
Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
Jin
Seung Won
SW
Her
Sung Ho
SH
Yoon
Hee Jeoung
HJ
Kim
Hyoung Doo
HD
Im
Yun Sun
YS
Seung
Ki Bae
KB
Kim
Jae Hyung
JH