Differences in the Development of Restenosis Over Time for Various Drug-Eluting Stents

Differences in the Development of Restenosis Over Time for Various Drug-Eluting Stents Introduction: Restenosis after stent implantation is one of the major limitations of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Compared to bare metal stents (BMS), drug-eluting stents (DES) have a reduced incidence of restenosis. However, the temporal pattern of restenosis development in patients implanted with DES has not been clearly defined. Aim: This study aims to compare the efficacy of sirolimus-eluting stents (SES), paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES), zotarolimus-eluting stents (ZES), and everolimus eluting stents (EES) via sequential angiographic follow-up and to reveal the development of restenosis over time. Material and methods: Patients were randomized to receive SES, PES, ZES, or EES, and follow-up angiography was performed at 6, 12 and 24months after percutaneous coronary intervention. We analyzed late loss (LL) at each time point and defined 2 time periods: “early” (within first year of follow-up) and “late” (after the first year). Results: In all groups, mean minimal lumen diameter decreased slightly during the 2-year period after the procedure. Compared with the SES group, the PES and the ZES groups showed significantly greater late loss (LL) within 1 year. However, the SES group showed significantly greater LL compared with the other drug-eluting stents (DES) between 1 and 2 years. Conclusions: Serial angiographic analysis revealed differences in the rate of restenosis development over time for various DES. Of the studied DES, EES showed the best results in both early and late LL.