title: Venous drug-eluting vs. bare-metal stenting: an experimental animal study using frequency domain optical coherence tomography.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This protocol was designed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of implanting drug-eluting stents (DES), as well as to compare their long-term results versus bare-metal stents (BMS), in a rabbit venous model, using frequency-domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirteen New Zealand white rabbits underwent implantation of a zotarolimus-eluting stent in the iliac vein (DES Group) and a BMS in the contralateral iliac vein (BMS Group). The study's primary endpoints included technical success and the comparison of in-stent neointimal hyperplasia in the two study groups, using ex vivo FD-OCT, at 3 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirteen DES and 13 BMS were successfully implanted. The technical success rate was 100% (26/26 stents). Three animals (3/13, 23.0%) died within the first 45 days. The remaining 10/13 animals (77%) were euthanized on the 90th day following stent implantation. The 20 stents were successfully removed. Successful ex vivo FD-OCT was performed in all stent-implanted iliac vein segments, 10 in the DES Group and 10 in the BMS Group. There was no statistically significant difference in the mean neointimal thickness between the two groups (3.02 ± 1.19 mm2 in DES Group vs. 2.76 ± 1.17 mm2 in BMS Group; p=0.0501).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this experimental protocol, DES implantation in the venous system was safe and feasible. Hyperplasia thickness was similar in both groups after 3 months' follow up.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Patras University Hospital, Patras, Greece.
authors.forename: Panagiotis M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Kitrou
authors.forename: Stavros
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Spiliopoulos
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Katsanos
authors.forename: Stavros
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsantis
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Diamantopoulos
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kallidonis
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kyriakopoulou
authors.forename: George C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Kagadis
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Karnabatidis
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Siablis
mesh_terms: D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction; D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D054855:Drug-Eluting Stents; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007084:Iliac Vein / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D011817:Rabbits; D020123:Sirolimus / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D013997:Time Factors; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; C489443:zotarolimus; D020123:Sirolimus