Incidence of Side-Effects of Ticlopidine After Sirolimus-Eluting Stent Implantation: Retrospective Analysis From Three Hospitals

Background Because of its side-effects, long-term administration of ticlopidine limits the use of the sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) in Japan. Methods and Results Side-effects of ticlopidine occurred in 41 (9.3%) of 440 patients who underwent SES implantation. The majority were liver dysfunction (4.5%) and rash (3.6%). One patient died from severe liver dysfunction. Neutropenia occurred in 3 patients (0.7%). It is remarkable that 28% of side-effects occurred >8 weeks after the initiation of ticlopidine. Conclusions Ticlopidine has a relative high rate of side-effects. Clopidogrel should be approved for prevention of stent thrombosis as soon as possible. (Circ J 2007; 71: 617 - 619)