Angioscopic Comparison of Neointimal Coverage Between Zotarolimus- and Sirolimus-Eluting Stents

Drug-eluting stents (DES) have demonstrated reduced late loss (LL) and low target lesion revascularization (TLR) rates through an inhibitory effect on neointimal hyperplasia but might have a risk of late or very late stent thrombosis due to incomplete neointimal coverage (NIC) (1-3). Considering the risk of stent thrombosis due to incomplete NIC, it is preferable for DES to have sufficient neointimal volume no greater than LL of 0.65 mm. Although the single-center, nonrandomized, matched-control, and observational nature with a small sample size of this study should be noted as a limitation, this study suggests that arterial endothelial healing after stenting is more competent in ZES than in SES.