Effects of Coronary Stenting on Restenosis and Occlusion After Angioplasty of the Culprit Vessel in Patients With Recent Myocardial Infarction

Background PTCA of an infarct-related lesion is associated with a high rate of restenosis and/or vessel occlusion. Recent studies have shown that coronary stenting in patients with stable or unstable angina is associated with a significant reduction in the restenosis rate compared with conventional balloon angioplasty. However, no information is available concerning the long-term effect of coronary stenting at infarct-related lesions compared with balloon angioplasty alone. Methods and Results One hundred consecutive patients undergoing stent implantation at an infarct-related lesion and systematic 6-month angiographic follow-up were matched for major pre-PTCA clinical and angiographic variables with a group of patients undergoing conventional angioplasty. Preprocedural, postprocedural, and 6-month follow-up angiograms were analyzed with quantitative angiography. Coronary stenting was performed as a bailout procedure after failed balloon angioplasty in 20%, for a suboptimal result after balloon angioplast...