Coronary bifurcation lesions: innovative approaches and the future of bifurcation devices.
Coronary bifurcation management is still a long way from an optimal solution with the current technologies. The long-lasting battle between the two-stent and provisional stenting strategies seems to have chosen the latter as winner, at least in most cases. However, with regard to other lesion subsets, interventions are often longer, more complex and charged with a worse outcome at both short- and medium-term follow-up. In the last decade, many dedicated devices have been developed to specifically address this condition. As in many similar cases, scientific commitment has returned few results, with these devices often being complex, time wasting and lacking evidence-based medicine. Here, we review the main technical features of this stent class and all the scientific data available.
Interventional Cardiology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy. bcortese@gmail.com
Bernardo
B
Cortese
Ugo
U
Limbruno
D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary / Q000295:instrumentation*; D023903:Coronary Restenosis / Q000517:prevention & control; D023921:Coronary Stenosis / Q000628:therapy*; D054855:Drug-Eluting Stents; D006801:Humans; D011474:Prosthesis Design / Q000639:trends; D019919:Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D015607:Stents / Q000639:trends