Bifurcational lesions: do we really need dedicated devices?
Provisional stenting of the side-branch is the universally accepted gold standard while there is still controversy on the role of kissing balloon dilatation. During treatment of bifurcation, most experienced operators prefer to correct the carina shift leading to ostial stenosis after the deployment of the main vessel stent by apposing the free struts jailing the origin of the side-branch to the ostium of the side-branch. Recrossing the struts of a previously deployed stent with a wire and an appropriately sized balloon can prove challenging and is occasionally unsuccessful, mainly because the balloon tip hits a stent strut. Thanks to its short beveled tip and the torquable shaft, the glider balloon can be easily rotated during advancement and might offer a rapid solution during treatment of complex bifurcational lesions.
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy. Electronic address: gioel.gabrio.secco@gmail.com.
Gioel Gabrio
GG
Secco
Carlo
C
Di Mario
D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D011474:Prosthesis Design / Q000592:standards; D015607:Stents / Q000592:standards
Angioplasty; Bifurcation lesion; Coronary artery disease; Stent