a different approach, performing a prospective analysis of consecutive patients with SF-predisposing factors treated with a 2nd-generation DES, with the aim of: (1) testing the value of an enhanced stent visualization (ESV) system in SF detection during the index PCI and (2) identifying patients at high risk for adverse events during follow-up.
Methods
Study PopulationIn our center, clinical and procedural data from all patients undergoing PCI for ischemic heart disease are recorded and patients are prospectively followed up for at least 12 months. 7-9 According to our institutional protocol, 8,10,11 we systematically perform an ESV system evaluation after stent implantation in patients undergoing PCI. The present analysis was performed in those patients with both SFpredisposing factors 1-5 and available ESV images from during their index procedure (Figure 1). Predisposing factors for SF were: (1) overlapping stents, (2) vessel tortuosity (defined as ≥2 bends of ≥75°, 1 bend ≥90° or significant N owadays, stent implantation in complex settings and lesions is common, and likely to increase. This has brought stent fracture (SF) occurrence to the attention of the scientific community because it has become more frequent in conjunction with the growth in procedural complexity. The reported incidence of SF is highly variable, ranging from 2% to 22%, according to the applied diagnostic tool and classification. 1-3 Most of the data refer to 1st-or 2nd-generation drug-eluting stents (DES), 1-3 and SF has been mainly diagnosed at the 9-12-month angiographic follow-up, based solely on angiography, with the likelihood of being underestimated. No study has evaluated the incidence and outcomes of SF occurring during the index percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This information could be clinically relevant as it may affect both the procedure (further stent implantation) and the therapeutic strategy (i.e., more aggressive antithrombotic regimen). In addition, previous studies were aimed at identifying the predisposing factors of SF (e.g., right coronary artery, long stents, overlap, tortuosity, balloon overexpansion), 1-4 rather than the actual clinical implications of SF. 5, 6 We have taken