Unprotected left main coronary artery bifurcation stenosis: impact of plaque debulking prior to single sirolimus-eluting stent implantation

The impact of plaque debulking with directional coronary atherectomy (DCA) prior to single sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) implantation in an unprotected left main coronary artery (LMCA) involving bifurcation stenosis has not been fully evaluated. One hundred and one patients with unprotected LMCA bifurcation lesions treated with single SES implantation (from the LMCA to the left descending coronary artery [LAD] across the left circumflex artery [LCx] ostium) were divided into 2 groups: DCA group (n = 41, plaque debulking with DCA prior to SES implantation) and non-DCA group (n = 60, single SES implantation alone). Clinical outcomes as well as angiographic data at baseline, post procedure and follow up were compared between the two groups. At 1-year follow up, freedom from major adverse cardiac events was 97.4 +/- 2.6% in the DCA group, and 88.6 +/- 4.4% in the non-DCA group (p = 0.129). Baseline quantitative coronary angiographic analyses revealed that the percent diameter stenosis (%DS) of the LCx was higher in the DCA group than in the non-DCA group (36.8 +/- 21.5% vs. 26.9 +/- 19.2%; p = 0.029). Moreover, the %DS of the LCx after PCI and at 9-month follow up was lower in the DCA group (19.2 +/- 13.1% vs. 28.3 +/- 22.7%; p = 0.034; 20.8 +/- 12.3% vs. 31.9 +/- 21.4%; p = 0.007, respectively). Furthermore, restenosis at the LCx ostium was not observed in the DCA group, but was seen in 5 cases in the non-DCA group (0% vs. 10.2%; p = 0.048). Plaque debulking with DCA prior to single SES implantation effectively reduced restenosis of the LCx ostium in this challenging lesion subset.