title: Prevalence and prognosis of coronary stent gap detected by multi-detector CT: a follow-up study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the features of stent gap (SG) and the long-term impact of SG on in-stent restenosis (ISR) in patent stents.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 347 consecutive patients with 781 stents who underwent MDCT were assessed for SG and ISR. Clinical and stent features were compared between the SG and non-SG groups. In the follow-up study, among 82 patients with 175 patent stents [26 assessed by conventional coronary angiography (CCA) including 6 contacted in a telephone survey, 46 assessed by computed tomography angiography (CTA) and 10 by both], the incidence of ISR was compared between stents with and without SG.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three patients and 13 stents were excluded. SG was observed in 12.5% of patients and 8.6% of stents. ISR detected by CTA was noted in 21.2% of SG, and SG accounted for 23.7% of ISR. Stent number, length, location, overlapping pattern, tortuosity and in-out angle were predisposing factors for SG. During a mean follow-up period of 15 months after detection of SG, the incidence of ISR was significantly higher in the SG group than in the non-SG group (43.8/14.9% by CCA, 33.3/10.1% by CTA and CCA).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patent stents with SG detected by CTA had a higher incidence of late restenosis, indicating that long-term follow-up or further intervention is necessary.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing RD, Haidian District, Beijing 100853, China.
authors.forename: Xinghua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Haiyue
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ju
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Yundai
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D023903:Coronary Restenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006083:Graft Occlusion, Vascular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D015607:Stents; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016896:Treatment Outcome