IntroductionAccumulating evidence now indicates that insulin-like growth factors (IGF) and their regulatory proteins are growth promoters for arterial cells and mediators of cardiovascular diseases.AimWe hypothetised that IGF-1 levels could play a role in the development of stent thrombosis (ST), and aimed to investigate the associations between stent thrombosis under effective dual antiplatelet therapy and IGF-1 levels and other related factors such as disease severity and LV ejection fraction in patients undergoing coronary stent placement.Material and methodsA total of 128 patients undergoing coronary stent implantation were included in the analysis. Seventy-seven patients experiencing ST in the first year after stent implantation were defined as the ST group. Fifty-one patients without ST at least 1 year after stent implantation were defined as the no-thrombosis (NT) group. The IGF-1 levels, Gensini scores, and other related factors were measured.ResultsThe IGF-1 levels were significantly higher in the stent thrombosis group than in the no-thrombosis group (122.22 ±50.61 ng/ml vs. 99.52 ±46.81 ng/ml, respectively, p < 0.039). The left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) values were significantly lower (44.13 ±9.25% vs. 55.81 ±8.77%, p < 0.0001) and Gensini scores were significantly higher (63.74 ±26.54 vs. 48.87 ±23.7, p < 0.004) in the ST group than in the NT group, respectively. In the linear regression analysis, IGF-1, Gensini score, LVEF, total cholesterol, and triglycerides were found to be independent risk factors for ST.ConclusionsThis study revealed that the plasma IGF-1 levels, disease severity, were significantly higher and LVEF was lower in patients with ST. High IGF-1 levels may identify patients who are at increased risk for ST. Future trials are necessary to confirm these results.