Preventive effects of probucol on restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty

Abstract This protocol was performed to elucidate the preventive effects of probucol on restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). A total of 118 patients with 134 vessels undergoing successful PTCA was randomly and prospectively assigned to the probucol group (group P) or the control group (group C). The subjects consisted of 91 men and 27 women, with a mean age of 63.4 ± 2.3 years. Sixty-six vessels of 59 patients in group P and 68 vessels of 59 patients in group C were evaluated by coronary angiography at 3 months after PTCA. Probucol (0.5 mg/day) was administered between >7 days before PTCA and 3 months after PTCA. The serum total cholesterol (TC) level and the formula low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (formula LDL-C) in group P decreased from 203.8 ± 43.1 to 169.6 ± 39.4 mg/dl and from 131.4 ± 0.7 to 108.7 ± 2.5 mg/dl, whereas in group C, the levels decreased only from 202.3 ± 32.1 to 194.2 ± 29.8 mg/dl and from 129.2 ± 38.1 to 124.3 ± 31.7 mg/dl, respectively. The restenosis rate was significantly lower in group P (19.7%; 13 of 66 vessels than in group C (39.7%; 27 of 68 vessels; p p