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J Am Coll Cardiol, 2005; 45:1193-1200, doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2004.11.063
© 2005 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation
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FOCUS ISSUE: DRUG-ELUTING STENTS: TAXUS-IV

Relationship between angiographic late loss and target lesion revascularization after coronary stent implantation

Analysis from the TAXUS-IV trial

Stephen G. Ellis, MD*,*, Jeffrey J. Popma, MD{dagger}, John M. Lasala, MD, PhD{ddagger}, Joerg J. Koglin, MD§, David A. Cox, MD||, James Hermiller, MD, Charles O’Shaughnessy, MD#, James Tift Mann, MD**, Mark Turco, MD{dagger}{dagger}, Ronald Caputo, MD{ddagger}{ddagger}, Patrick Bergin, MD§§, Joel Greenberg, MD|||| and Gregg W. Stone, MD¶¶,##

* Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio
{dagger} Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
{ddagger} Division of Cardiology, Washington University, School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
§ Cardiovascular Clinical Affairs, Boston Scientific, Natick, Massachusetts
|| Mid Carolina Cardiology, Charlotte, North Carolina
St. Vincent’s Hospital, Indianapolis, Indiana
# Elyria Memorial Hospital, Elyria, Ohio
** WakeMed, Raleigh, North Carolina
{dagger}{dagger} Washington Adventist Hospital, Tacoma Park, Maryland
{ddagger}{ddagger} St. Joseph’s Hospital, Syracuse, New York
§§ Sacred Heart Medical Center, Eugene, Oregon
|||| Florida Hospital, Orlando, Florida
¶¶ Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York
## Cardiovascular Research Foundation, New York, New York.

Manuscript received June 28, 2004; revised manuscript received November 1, 2004, accepted November 15, 2004.

* Reprint requests and correspondence: Dr. Stephen G. Ellis, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Desk F25, Cleveland, Ohio 44195. (Email: elliss{at}ccf.org).


    Abstract
 Top
 Abstract
 Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate the relationship between angiographic late loss and clinical outcomes in the drug-eluting stent era.

BACKGROUND: The interrelationship between angiographic late loss, binary restenosis, and clinical recurrence (target lesion revascularization [TLR]) after coronary stent implantation has been incompletely evaluated.

METHODS: Using the angiographic substudy of the TAXUS-IV trial, in which 1,314 patients with de novo coronary lesions were randomized to either the paclitaxel-eluting TAXUS stent or to its bare-metal equivalent, we defined the relationship between in-stent and analysis segment late loss, the shape of the late loss histogram (variance and skewedness), and nine-month TLR.

RESULTS: Late loss by several measures was closely related to TLR (area under the receiver-operator curve >0.90). For individual vessels of the size in this study (2.8 ± 0.5 mm), the likelihood of TLR did not exceed 5% until analysis segment late loss was >0.5 mm, and did not exceed 10% until late loss was >0.65 mm. At greater late losses, the late loss TLR relationship was steep and nearly linear. For the overall patient cohort, the rate of TLR was related, however, not only to median late loss, but also to measures of its statistical distribution (TLR increased with lack of homogeneous biologic response [greater variance and greater right skewedness]). Similar relationships held for late loss measured within the confines of the stent itself.

CONCLUSIONS: Coronary stents result in large lumens with "room" to accommodate up to ~0.5 to 0.65 mm of tissue (angiographic analysis segment late loss) before the likelihood of clinical restenosis (TLR) exceeds 5% to 10%. These data have important implications toward understanding the absolute and relative efficacy of drug-eluting stents.

Abbreviations and Acronyms
  MLD = minimum lumen diameter
  QCA = quantitative coronary angiography
  TLR = target lesion revascularization


The aim of drug-eluting stents is to provide local vascular drug delivery to reduce neointimal responses that lead to restenosis and the need for further revascularization. Compared with bare-metal stents, polymer-based elution of sirolimus and paclitaxel significantly reduce the need for target lesion revascularization (TLR) (1,2). For bare-metal stents, the restenotic process is heterogeneous, occurring focally or diffusely within the stent(s), including the edges (3). In contrast, when restenosis occurs after placement of drug-eluting stents, the pattern is typically focal in nature (1,2). Quantitative angiographic algorithms and analysis may be utilized to identify the most narrowed lumen or the minimum lumen diameter (MLD) to reflect the severity of restenosis. The MLD is then used to derive most common angiographic indexes (binary restenosis rates, % diameter stenosis, late loss, and late loss index) reflecting the process of restenosis (4).

Late loss, defined as the difference in millimeters between the MLD at the completion of the procedure and at angiographic follow-up, is commonly used to measure the degree of accumulation of tissue (4). Late loss can be calculated based on measurements within the stent, at its edges, or across the entire analysis segment, as has been done historically. Some have speculated that in-stent late loss might serve as a useful measure of biological activity of drug-eluting stents, with the implication clearly being that "less is better" (5,6). In the era of drug-eluting stents, the significance and relationship of the traditional angiographic indexes of restenosis, especially late loss, to clinical outcomes has yet to be defined.

When comparing results from the SIRIUS and TAXUS-IV trials (1,2), both drug-eluting stent systems provide significant reductions in in-stent neointimal hyperplasia compared to bare-metal stents, translating into a greatly reduced and generally similar need for repeat intervention (nine-month TLR rates of 4.1% and 3.0%, respectively) in analogous patient and lesion populations. One major difference between the Cypher (Cordis Corp., Miami, Florida) and TAXUS (Boston Scientific Corp., Natick, Massachusetts) stent systems is the absolute amount of angiographic late loss seen at late follow-up (the same angiographic core laboratory and analysis technique was utilized in both studies). For the Cypher stent, in-stent late loss was 0.17 ± 0.44 mm compared with 1.00 ± 0.70 mm for bare-metal control stents (relative reduction of 83%). For the TAXUS stent, the late loss was 0.39 ± 0.50 mm for the slow-release, polymer-based paclitaxel-eluting stent compared to 0.92 ± 0.58 mm for the EXPRESS bare-metal control (Boston Scientific Corp.) (relative reduction of 58%). The degree of late loss over the entire analysis segment, however, was similar between the Cypher and TAXUS stents (0.24 ± 0.47 mm and 0.23 ± 0.44 mm, respectively). These contrasts have raised questions about the utility of late loss as an index of clinical restenosis in the drug-eluting stent era. The objective of this substudy was, therefore, to examine the relationship between late loss and TLR.


    Methods
 Top
 Abstract
 Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Study population and protocol.   The TAXUS-IV trial randomized patients to receive either the polymer-based, paclitaxel-eluting TAXUS stent or to a bare-metal equivalent. Patients ≥18 years of age with stable or unstable angina or provocable ischemia undergoing stenting of a single de novo lesion in a native coronary artery were considered for enrollment. Angiographic eligibility for inclusion required a target lesion with visual reference vessel diameter ≥2.5 to ≤3.75 mm and lesion length 10 to 28 mm coverable by a single study stent. Clinical and angiographic exclusion criteria have been described (2). The institutional review board at each participating center approved the study, and consecutive, eligible patients signed informed, written consent; 559 of the 732 patients (76.4%) pre-selected for routine angiographic follow-up returned for restudy. Additionally, 150 patients had angiographic follow-up one to nine months after stent placement for clinical indications. The latter group’s data were added in some analyses to increase the number of events to be studied.

Randomization and stent implantation.   Telephone randomization was performed before pre-dilatation, stratified by the presence of medically treated diabetes and vessel size (<3.0 or ≥3.0 mm). Patients were equally assigned in double-blind fashion to treatment with either the slow rate-release, polymer-based, paclitaxel-eluting TAXUS stent or a visually indistinguishable bare-metal EXPRESS stent. Unfractionated heparin was administered per standard practice, and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor use was at operator discretion. After mandatory pre-dilatation, an appropriate-sized stent (approximately 2 to 4 mm longer than the lesion, with a stent-to-distal reference vessel diameter ratio of 1 to 1.1:1) was implanted at ≥12 atm. Stents were available in lengths of 16, 24, and 32 mm, and in diameters of 2.5, 3.0, and 3.5 mm. Additional study stents were permitted for edge dissections greater than or equal to type B or otherwise suboptimal results, and post-dilatation was at operator discretion. Clinical follow-up was scheduled at one, four, and nine months, and yearly thereafter for five years. Angiographic follow-up was pre-specified in a prospectively identified subgroup of 732 patients at nine months (2).

End points and definitions.   Target lesion revascularization was defined as either repeat percutaneous or surgical revascularization for a lesion anywhere within the stent or the 5-mm borders proximal or distal to the stent. Target lesion revascularization was considered to be ischemia-driven if the target lesion diameter stenosis was ≥50% by quantitative analysis with either electrocardiographic changes at rest or a positive functional study in the distribution of the target lesion, or ≥70% with recurrent symptoms only. If an adverse event could not be conclusively attributed to a non-target lesion, then the event was considered a target-related event.

As previously described, the primary end point of the TAXUS-IV trial was TVR at nine months (2), defined as revascularization due to either restenosis in the target lesion, or to a new remote lesion elsewhere in the target vessel or its branches. For the present analysis, however, TLR was used as the principal clinical analysis end point, as angiographic restenosis after stent implantation (either within the stent or at its margins) is most directly correlated with TLR.

Angiographic methods.   After administration of intracoronary nitroglycerin, standard angiographic image acquisition of the coronary stenosis was performed using at least two angiographic projections that were repeated at the end of the procedure and at the time of follow-up angiography. Cineangiograms were then forwarded to the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Angiographic Core Laboratory for review by observers blinded to the treatment assignment. Baseline, postprocedural, and follow-up qualitative morphologic characteristics were characterized using standard criteria (7–9). Lesion length was defined as the axial extent of the lesion that contained a shoulder-to-shoulder lumen reduction by ≥20% or more (10).

Using the contrast-filled injection catheter as the calibration source, quantitative coronary angiographic (QCA) analysis was performed using a validated automated edge detection algorithm (Medis CMS, Leiden, the Netherlands) (11). Projections for image analysis were identified using views that demonstrated the stenosis in an unforeshortened view, minimized the degree of vessel overlap, and displayed the stenosis in its "sharpest and tightest" view. A 5-mm segment of reference diameter proximal and distal to the stenosis was used to calculate the average reference vessel diameter; side branches and other anatomic landmarks were used to identify and maintain the consistency of the measurement length during the follow-up period. Minimum lumen diameters were measured at these same time points within the stent (in-stent analysis) and within the 5-mm proximal and distal edges of the stent. Total occlusions were assigned an MLD = 0 mm and a 100% diameter stenosis.

Angiographic follow-up was performed nine months after the index procedure, or earlier in the event of recurrent symptoms. Binary angiographic restenosis was defined as a follow-up diameter stenosis >50%. Acute gain was defined as the MLD immediately after the procedure minus the MLD before the procedure, and late loss was defined as the MLD immediately after the procedure minus the MLD at follow-up. For the purposes of this analyses, late loss was calculated in each of three ways: 1) within the stent itself; 2) within the analysis segment itself considering the MLD anywhere within the analysis segment at the conclusion of the procedure and at follow-up; and 3) within the analysis segment itself, but separately considering the stented segment, proximal and distal edges and taking the maximum change in MLD within those three segments and applying it to this segment as a whole (maximal regional late loss) to better reflect local dimensional changes.

Statistical methods.   Categorical variables were compared by the Fisher exact test. Continuous variables are presented as mean ± 1 SD or median with 25% and 75% interquartile ranges, and were compared by Student t test. Late loss data by treatment group were displayed as histograms and analyzed for variance, or the dispersion of the distribution of data around the mean value, and skewedness or the asymmetry of the data distribution and for its relation to TLR. Cumulative frequency distribution curves for each of the three measures of late loss (in-stent, in-segment, and maximal regional late loss) was plotted against TLR, and the goodness of correlation assessed using receiver operator curve analyses and the c-statistic. Separate analyses were then performed dividing the population by reference vessel size <2.5 mm, 2.5 to 3.0 mm, and >3.0 mm. To assess the TLR implications of greater and lesser heterogeneity and greater right skewedness of late loss than was actually present in the TAXUS group, simulation exercises were performed assuming: 1) the same mean late loss with a Gaussian distribution, but with 50%, 75%, 125%, or 150% of the observed variance of late loss; and 2) skewed distributions, with the same mean late loss but kurtoses of 0.37 and 0.41 representing greater right skewedness; 1,000 simulations were performed for each estimate. Finally, because not all patients with binary restenosis had TLR, similar analyses were performed with binary restenosis as the end point.


    Results
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 Abstract
 Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Baseline demographic and angiographic findings.   Selected patient characteristics and outcomes are shown for patients with and without angiographic follow-up in Table 1, and for patients randomized to the paclitaxel-eluting or control stents within the angiographic follow-up group in Table 2. Patients scheduled for angiographic follow-up differed from those not prescheduled only with regard to lesion length (given that angiographic follow-up was mandated in all patients with 32-mm stent implantation) (6) and with respect to binary restenosis (higher in the non-prescheduled group due to the ascertainment bias engendered by the propensity of patients with symptoms to return for angiography). Patients prescheduled for angiographic follow-up returning for study had a mean reference vessel diameter of 2.78 ± 0.48 mm and lesion length 13.9 ± 6.6 mm, with no significant differences between patients randomized to paclitaxel-eluting or control with respect to these or other key baseline variables. Compared to patients randomized to a bare-metal stent, paclitaxel-eluting randomized patients had significantly lower analysis segment binary restenosis rates (7.9% vs. 26.6%, p < 0.0001) and TLR rates (3.8% vs. 14.6%, p < 0.0001). Only two and three patients, respectively, had total stent occlusion at follow-up.


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Table 1. Selected Patient Characteristics and Outcomes
 

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Table 2. Comparison of TAXUS Versus Control for Patients With Angiographic Follow-Up
 
Distribution of late loss.   Distributions of late loss for the paclitaxel-eluting and control groups are shown in Figures 1A to 1C. Mean analysis segment late loss in paclitaxel-eluting group compared to the control group was significantly less (0.23 ± 0.44 vs. 0.61 ± 0.57, p < 0.0001), less heterogeneous by variance measurement (0.192 vs. 0.329), but less symmetrically distributed (right skewedness 1.54 vs. 0.71). Data for in-stent and maximal regional late loss were similar.



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Figure 1 Histograms for late loss for the paclitaxel-eluting and control bare-metal EXPRESS stent groups for in-stent (A), analysis segment (B), and maximal regional (C) late loss definitions. Paclitaxel-eluting-treated patients had less, but more heterogeneously distributed, late loss.

 
Cumulative frequency distribution curves.   Patient counts for those with and without TLR by 0.2-mm late loss increments are shown in Figures 2A to 2C. The resultant cumulative frequency distribution curves showing TLR rates as a function of late loss are shown for late loss calculated within the in-stent segment (Fig. 3A), analysis segment including the stent and the regions extending 5 mm from the stent margin (Fig. 3B) and maximal regional late loss (Fig. 3C). As the late loss-TLR curves for the patients treated with paclitaxel-eluting and control stents were very similar, combined data were used for subsequent analyses. C-statistics for the in-stent, analysis segment, and maximal regional late loss TLR curves were 0.918, 0.925, and 0.934, respectively (p = NS for between group comparison). Hosmer and Lemeshow TLR goodness of fit statistics were 5.033 (p = 0.75), 8.093 (p = 0.42), and 7.245 (p = 0.51), respectively. For binary restenosis goodness of fit statistics were less consistently good: 48.312 (p = 0.0001), 6.167 (p = 0.62), and 20.334 (p = 0.009), respectively. The inflection point and threshold for >5% and >10% risk of TLR varied across the methodologies, being approximately 0.75 and 1.0 mm, 0.5 and 0.65 mm, and 1.1 and 1.2 mm for the in-stent, analysis segment, and maximal regional late loss analyses, respectively.



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Figure 2 Patient count data for those with and without target lesion revascularization (TLR), dividing late loss into 0.2-mm increments: (A) in-stent, (B) analysis segment, (C) maximal regional late loss.

 


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Figure 3 Cumulative frequency distribution curves for (A) in-stent, (B) in-segment, (C) maximal regional late loss for the combined angiographic populations versus target lesion revascularization (TLR). Prob = probability.

 
Figure 4 shows cumulative frequency distribution curves for analysis segment late loss versus TLR for patients with reference vessel <2.5 mm, 2.5 to 3.0 mm, and >3.0 mm. Curves for the smaller and larger vessels are shifted leftward ~0.3 mm and rightward ~0.7 mm, respectively.



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Figure 4 Cumulative frequency distribution cares for in-segment late loss versus target lesion revascularization (TLR) for reference vessel size <2.5, 2.5 to 3.0, and >3.0 mm. Prob = probability.

 
TLR implications of altering the frequency distribution of late loss in the TAXUS group.   As displayed in Table 3, greater homogeneity of the late loss response (e.g., 50% of observed variance) would be associated with lower rates of TLR (1.9%) than that seen with the observed variance. Conversely, greater heterogeneity of late loss response (e.g., 150% of observed variance) would be associated with higher rates of TLR (7.4%). Similarly, greater right skewedness of the data distribution would be expected to be associated with higher rates of TLR (Table 4).


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Table 3. Simulated Impact of Different In-Stent Late Loss Variances on TLR in the TAXUS Stent Population
 

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Table 4. Simulated Impact of Different In-Stent Late Loss Skewedness on TLR in the TAXUS Stent Population
 

    Discussion
 Top
 Abstract
 Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
The principal findings of this late loss analysis from the TAXUS-IV trial for de novo native vessel coronary lesions are: 1) late loss is strongly (c-statistic >0.90) but not linearly correlated to TLR, and this correlation is preserved for both paclitaxel-eluting and bare-metal stents, and for late loss calculated as in-stent or either of the analysis segment definitions (2). Individual patients have a very low probability of TLR (<5% to 10%) until analysis segment late loss exceeds 0.5 to 0.65 mm (or in-stent late loss exceeds 0.75 to 1.0 mm), and the probability of TLR exceeds 50% only when analysis segment and in-stent late loss exceeds 1.25 mm and 1.5 mm, respectively (3). In addition to the absolute amount of late loss, the risk of TLR is also related to the homogeneity of late loss effect (the lower the variance and skewedness, the lower the TLR rate).

Late loss clinical implications.   The clinical translation of this finding is that the large lumens that result after coronary stent implantation in vessels of the size studied (mean 2.8 ± 0.5 mm) allow "room" to accommodate a mean late loss of up to approximately 0.75 to 1.0 mm within the stent, providing that there is a homogeneous effect across the major subpopulations of patients. When the entire analysis segment is considered, any degree of late loss ≤0.5 mm is sufficient to result in TLR rates below 5%. For smaller reference vessel dimensions, the amount of "room" to accommodate restenotic tissue diminishes, such that for the group with diameter <2.5 (mean 2.22 ± 0.20 mm), the probability of TLR exceeds 10% when analysis segment late loss is >0.5 mm, rather than 0.6 to 0.7 mm for the entire group. When the TLR threshold is lowered to 5% for small vessels (<2.5 mm), a late lumen loss of 0.3 to 0.4 mm or below is acceptable.

Late loss findings in paclitaxel-eluting stents.   For the paclitaxel-eluting stent group as a whole, the likelihood of TLR is directly, but not linearly, related to late loss and increases with greater heterogeneity of effect (more variance) and with greater right skewedness of the late loss distribution curve compared with the bare-metal stent (2). These data have important implications for the requisite performance of drug-eluting stents. A mean analysis segment late loss of 0.5 mm (or in-stent late loss of 0.75 mm) after drug-eluting stent implantation is adequate to achieve TLR rates <5%. Greater reduction of late loss may not translate into significantly lower TLR rates, because the relatively flat portion of the TLR/late loss curve has been reached. These data provide insight as to why Cypher and TAXUS stents result in similar TLR rates despite exhibiting very different degrees of in-stent late loss. Moreover, the similar amount of late loss in the analysis segments after sirolimus-eluting and paclitaxel-eluting stent implantation (despite different degrees of in-stent hyperplasia) contribute to the near identical rates of TLR.

In addition, the homogeneity of response to the drug-eluting stent as a function of vessel size, lesion length, diabetic status, and other parameters must be considered to completely characterize drug-eluting stent performance. In this regard from the present analysis, the TAXUS stent performed slightly better in smaller compared to larger vessels, with less absolute and relative late loss. Moreover, bare-metal stents typically have a late loss of 0.8 to 1.0 mm (12–14). The present analysis suggests that changes in materials or manufacturing processes that could reduce this late loss to the 0.5- to 0.6-mm range (a reduction of only ~0.2 to 0.4 mm) would have a marked impact on reducing restenosis even without a bioactive coating.

This study also demonstrates that when analysis segment late loss is <~0.5 mm (or when in-stent late loss is <~0.75 mm), that the homogeneity of response (variance and skew) may affect TLR rates more powerfully than any further reduction in median late loss.

Late loss findings in bare-metal stents.   For bare-metal stents, a majority of patients have late loss on the steep and linear portion of the TLR/late loss curve, and, therefore, late loss itself is a good measure of clinical benefit. In contrast, for late losses in the ranges expected with drug-eluting stents, the exact amount of late loss is an insensitive determinant of clinical restenosis, with homogeneity of effect being a more important predictor of clinical benefit.

Study limitations.   The principal limitations of this analysis are that much of the angiographic follow-up was per protocol rather then clinically driven, hence TLR may have been artificially exaggerated due to the "oculostenotic reflex" (despite attempts to systematically adjudicate against this) (15). Second, the results may not be generalizable to all stent platforms or other types of drug-eluting stents or other lesion types. Conversely, the strengths of the study lie in the large number of patients studied, the blinded, independent QCA process, the consistency of the TLR late loss relationship for both the paclitaxel-eluting stent and bare-metal stent groups, and of the various measures of late loss to that relationship.

Clinical implications.   In conclusion, considering the salutary scaffolding effects of stents when implanted in de novo coronary artery stenoses, median analysis segment late loss of up to 0.5 to 0.65 mm (or in-stent late loss of 0.75 to 1.0 mm) may be accommodated with probability of TLR <5% to 10% provided that there is homogeneous effect across all subpopulations.

For the slow-release paclitaxel formulation stents, the median (0.15 mm) and interquartile range (–0.04 to 0.41 mm) values of analysis segment late loss fall far below the threshold where the probability of TLR increases. These findings are important in selecting drug candidates and dose thresholds for future drug-eluting stents where the antirestenotic effect needs to be balanced against adequate stent coverage consistent with a well-healed and pacified surface. Results from future drug-eluting stent studies evaluating other stent platforms and drugs, as well as a broader range of stent diameters and lengths and other lesion types, will provide more insight to prospectively determine the optimum amount of late loss combining sufficient antirestenotic properties and adequate healing after stent implantation.

Finally, these results potentially have important clinical and regulatory implications for ongoing trials in which drug-eluting stents are compared against each other, using angiographic late loss as a surrogate of clinical benefit. The present analysis suggests that a relatively broad "delta" for noninferiority in such studies would provide reasonable assurance of clinical efficacy, as long as variance of the distribution is not excessive.


    Footnotes
 
Drs. Ellis and Popma receive research support from Boston Scientific; Drs. Ellis, Stone, and Hermiller are consultants for Boston Scientific; and Dr. Koglin is an employee of Boston Scientific. The data reside with, but were also reviewed externally from, Boston Scientific. Dr. Ellis feels as an investigator in the filed, he has "conflict" with all major U.S. stent manufacturers, and hence feels "conflicted" in a "balanced" fashion.


    References
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 Abstract
 Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
1. Moses J, Leon M, Popma J, et al. SIRIUS Investigators Sirolimus-eluting stents versus standard stents in patients with stenosis in a native coronary artery N Engl J Med 2003;349:1315-1323.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]

2. Stone GW, Ellis SG, Cox DA, et al. A polymer-based paclitaxel-eluting stent in patients with coronary artery disease N Engl J Med 2004;350:221-231.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]

3. Hoffman R, Mintz GS, Dussaillant GR, et al. Patterns and mechanisms of in-stent restenosisa serial intravascular ultrasound study. Circulation 1996;94:1247-1254.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

4. Cutlip D, Chauhan M, Baim D, et al. Clinical restenosis after coronary stentingperspectives from multicenter clinical trials. J Am Coll Cardiol 2002;40:2082-2089.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

5. O’Malley AJ, Normand SL, Kuntz RE. Application of models for multivariate mixed outcomes to medical device trialscoronary artery stenting. Stat Med 2003;22:313-336.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]

6. Babapulle M, Eisenberg M. Coated stents for the prevention of restenosis: part II Circulation 2002;106:2859.[Free Full Text]

7. Ellis S, Vandormael M, Cowley M, et al. Coronary morphologic and clinical determinants of procedural outcome with angioplasty for multivessel coronary disease Circulation 1990;82:1193-1202.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

8. Ryan T, Faxon D, Gunnar R, et al. Guidelines for percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplastya report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Assessment of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Cardiovascular Procedures (Subcommittee on Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty). J Am Coll Cardiol 1988;12:529-545.[Web of Science][Medline]

9. Huber MS, Mooney JF, Madison J, Mooney MR. Use of a morphologic classification to predict clinical outcome after dissection from coronary angioplasty Am J Cardiol 1991;68:467-471.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]

10. Mehran R, Dangas G, Abizaid A, et al. Angiographic patterns of in-stent restenosisClassification and implications for long-term outcome. Circulation 1999;100:1872-1878.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

11. van der Zwet P, Reiber J. A new approach for the quantification of complex lesion morphologythe gradient field transform; basic principles and validation results. J Am Coll Cardiol 1994;24:216-224.[Abstract]

12. Serruys P, de Jaegere P, Kiemeneij F, et al. BENESTENT Study Group A comparison of balloon-expandable-stent implantation with balloon angioplasty in patients with coronary artery disease N Engl J Med 1994;331:489-495.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]

13. Baim D, Cutlip D, Midei M, et al. ASCENT Investigators Final results of a randomized trial comparing the MULTI-LINK stent with the Palmaz-Schatz stent for narrowings in native coronary arteries Am J Cardiol 2001;87:157-162.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]

14. Kimura T, Yokoi H, Nakagawa Y, et al. Three-year follow-up after implantation of metallic coronary artery stents N Engl J Med 1996;334:561-566.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]

15. ten Berg J, Kelder J, Suttorp M, Verheugt F, Plokker H. Influence of planned six-month follow-up angiography on large outcome after percutaneous coronary interventiona randomized study. J Am Coll Cardiol 2001;38:1061-1069.[Abstract/Free Full Text]




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Changes in Left Main Bifurcation Geometry After a Single-Stent Crossover Technique: An Intravascular Ultrasound Study Using Direct Imaging of Both the Left Anterior Descending and the Left Circumflex Coronary Arteries Before and After Intervention
Circ Cardiovasc Interv, August 1, 2011; 4(4): 355 - 361.
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J Am Coll Cardiol IntvHome page
D. E. Kandzari, L. Mauri, J. J. Popma, M. A. Turco, P. A. Gurbel, P. J. Fitzgerald, and M. B. Leon
Late-Term Clinical Outcomes With Zotarolimus- and Sirolimus-Eluting Stents: 5-Year Follow-Up of the ENDEAVOR III (A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Medtronic Endeavor Drug [ABT-578] Eluting Coronary Stent System Versus the Cypher Sirolimus-Eluting Coronary Stent System in De Novo Native Coronary Artery Lesions)
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. Intv., May 1, 2011; 4(5): 543 - 550.
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Circ Cardiovasc IntervHome page
S.-J. Kang, G. S. Mintz, D.-W. Park, S.-W. Lee, Y.-H. Kim, C. Whan Lee, K.-H. Han, J.-J. Kim, S.-W. Park, and S.-J. Park
Mechanisms of In-Stent Restenosis After Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation: Intravascular Ultrasound Analysis
Circ Cardiovasc Interv, February 1, 2011; 4(1): 9 - 14.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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J Am Coll CardiolHome page
D.-W. Park, Y.-H. Kim, S.-C. Yun, S.-J. Kang, S.-W. Lee, C.-W. Lee, S.-W. Park, I.-W. Seong, J.-H. Lee, S.-J. Tahk, et al.
Comparison of Zotarolimus-Eluting Stents With Sirolimus- and Paclitaxel-Eluting Stents for Coronary Revascularization: The ZEST (Comparison of the Efficacy and Safety of Zotarolimus-Eluting Stent with Sirolimus-Eluting and PacliTaxel-Eluting Stent for Coronary Lesions) Randomized Trial
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., October 5, 2010; 56(15): 1187 - 1195.
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J Am Coll CardiolHome page
S. Garg and P. W. Serruys
Coronary Stents: Current Status
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., August 31, 2010; 56(10_Suppl_S): S1 - S42.
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J Am Coll CardiolHome page
S. Garg and P. W. Serruys
Coronary Stents: Looking Forward
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., August 31, 2010; 56(10_Suppl_S): S43 - S78.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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Circ Cardiovasc IntervHome page
S.-J. Kang, G. S. Mintz, D.-W. Park, S.-W. Lee, Y.-H. Kim, C. W. Lee, K.-H. Han, J.-J. Kim, S.-W. Park, and S.-J. Park
Late and Very Late Drug-Eluting Stent Malapposition: Serial 2-Year Quantitative IVUS Analysis
Circ Cardiovasc Interv, August 1, 2010; 3(4): 335 - 340.
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J Am Coll Cardiol IntvHome page
J. J. Wykrzykowska, P. W. Serruys, Y. Onuma, T. de Vries, G.-A. van Es, P. Buszman, A. Linke, T. Ischinger, V. Klauss, R. Corti, et al.
Impact of Vessel Size on Angiographic and Clinical Outcomes of Revascularization With Biolimus-Eluting Stent With Biodegradable Polymer and Sirolimus-Eluting Stent With Durable Polymer: The LEADERS Trial Substudy
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. Intv., September 1, 2009; 2(9): 861 - 870.
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J Am Coll CardiolHome page
J. W. Kim, H. S. Seo, J. H. Park, J. O. Na, C. U. Choi, H. E. Lim, E. J. Kim, S.-W. Rha, C. G. Park, and D. J. Oh
A Prospective, Randomized, 6-Month Comparison of the Coronary Vasomotor Response Associated With a Zotarolimus- Versus a Sirolimus-Eluting Stent: Differential Recovery of Coronary Endothelial Dysfunction
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., May 5, 2009; 53(18): 1653 - 1659.
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J Am Coll Cardiol IntvHome page
R. A. Byrne, R. Iijima, J. Mehilli, S. Pinieck, O. Bruskina, A. Schomig, and A. Kastrati
Durability of Antirestenotic Efficacy in Drug-Eluting Stents With and Without Permanent Polymer
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. Intv., April 1, 2009; 2(4): 291 - 299.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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J Am Coll Cardiol IntvHome page
C. Tamburino, A. La Manna, M. E. Di Salvo, G. Sacchetta, D. Capodanno, R. Mehran, G. Dangas, T. Corcos, and F. Prati
First-in-Man 1-Year Clinical Outcomes of the Catania Coronary Stent System With Nanothin Polyzene-F in De Novo Native Coronary Artery Lesions: The ATLANTA (Assessment of The LAtest Non-Thrombogenic Angioplasty stent) Trial
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. Intv., March 1, 2009; 2(3): 197 - 204.
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CirculationHome page
G. W. Stone, M. Midei, W. Newman, M. Sanz, J. B. Hermiller, J. Williams, N. Farhat, R. Caputo, N. Xenopoulos, R. Applegate, et al.
Randomized Comparison of Everolimus-Eluting and Paclitaxel-Eluting Stents: Two-Year Clinical Follow-Up From the Clinical Evaluation of the Xience V Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System in the Treatment of Patients With De Novo Native Coronary Artery Lesions (SPIRIT) III Trial
Circulation, February 10, 2009; 119(5): 680 - 686.
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Circ Cardiovasc IntervHome page
Effect of length and diameter of drug-eluting stents versus bare-metal stents on late outcomes.
Circ Cardiovasc Interv, February 1, 2009; 2(1): 35 - 42.



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J Am Coll Cardiol IntvHome page
B. Chevalier, C. Di Mario, F.-J. Neumann, F. Ribichini, P. Urban, J. J. Popma, P. J. Fitzgerald, D. E. Cutlip, D. O. Williams, J. Ormiston, et al.
A Randomized, Controlled, Multicenter Trial to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Zotarolimus- Versus Paclitaxel-Eluting Stents in De Novo Occlusive Lesions in Coronary Arteries: The ZoMaxx I Trial
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. Intv., October 1, 2008; 1(5): 524 - 532.
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J Am Coll Cardiol IntvHome page
D. R. Holmes Jr and M. Patel
The Process of Bringing New Drug-Eluting Stents to Market: Will They See the Light of Day?
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. Intv., October 1, 2008; 1(5): 533 - 534.
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J Am Coll CardiolHome page
S.-W. Lee, S.-W. Park, Y.-H. Kim, S.-C. Yun, D.-W. Park, C. W. Lee, M.-K. Hong, K.-S. Rhee, J. K. Chae, J.-K. Ko, et al.
A Randomized Comparison of Sirolimus- Versus Paclitaxel-Eluting Stent Implantation in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., August 26, 2008; 52(9): 727 - 733.
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J Am Coll CardiolHome page
M. Awata, S. Nanto, M. Uematsu, T. Morozumi, T. Watanabe, T. Onishi, O. Iida, F. Sera, J.-i. Kotani, M. Hori, et al.
Angioscopic Comparison of Neointimal Coverage Between Zotarolimus- and Sirolimus-Eluting Stents
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., August 26, 2008; 52(9): 789 - 790.
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J Am Coll CardiolHome page
S. J. Pocock, M. P. Fahy, R. Mehran, and G. W. Stone
Reply
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., May 20, 2008; 51(20): 1992 - 1992.
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J Am Coll CardiolHome page
S.-W. Lee, S.-W. Park, Y.-H. Kim, S.-C. Yun, D.-W. Park, C. W. Lee, M.-K. Hong, H.-S. Kim, J.-K. Ko, J.-H. Park, et al.
Drug-Eluting Stenting Followed by Cilostazol Treatment Reduces Late Restenosis in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus: The DECLARE-DIABETES Trial (A Randomized Comparison of Triple Antiplatelet Therapy With Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation in Diabetic Patients)
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., March 25, 2008; 51(12): 1181 - 1187.
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J Am Coll CardiolHome page
S. J. Pocock, A. J. Lansky, R. Mehran, J. J. Popma, M. P. Fahy, Y. Na, G. Dangas, J. W. Moses, T. Pucelikova, D. E. Kandzari, et al.
Angiographic Surrogate End Points in Drug-Eluting Stent Trials: A Systematic Evaluation Based on Individual Patient Data From 11 Randomized, Controlled Trials
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., January 1, 2008; 51(1): 23 - 32.
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Diabetes CareHome page
F. Tomai, B. Reimers, L. De Luca, A. R. Galassi, A. Gaspardone, A. S. Ghini, V. Ferrero, L. Favero, G. Gioffre, F. Prati, et al.
Head-to-Head Comparison of Sirolimus- and Paclitaxel-Eluting Stent in the Same Diabetic Patient With Multiple Coronary Artery Lesions: A prospective, randomized, multicenter study
Diabetes Care, January 1, 2008; 31(1): 15 - 19.
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J Am Coll CardiolHome page
M. Togni, S. Eber, J. Widmer, M. Billinger, P. Wenaweser, S. Cook, R. Vogel, C. Seiler, F. R. Eberli, W. Maier, et al.
Impact of Vessel Size on Outcome After Implantation of Sirolimus-Eluting and Paclitaxel-Eluting Stents: A Subgroup Analysis of the SIRTAX Trial
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., September 18, 2007; 50(12): 1123 - 1131.
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J Am Coll CardiolHome page
F. Ribichini, M. Joner, V. Ferrero, A. V. Finn, J. Crimins, G. Nakazawa, E. Acampado, F. D. Kolodgie, C. Vassanelli, and R. Virmani
Effects of Oral Prednisone After Stenting in a Rabbit Model of Established Atherosclerosis
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., July 10, 2007; 50(2): 176 - 185.
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Eur Heart JHome page
R. Moreno, C. Fernandez, A. Sanchez-Recalde, G. Galeote, L. Calvo, F. Alfonso, R. Hernandez, R. Sanchez-Aquino, D. J. Angiolillo, S. Villarreal, et al.
Clinical impact of in-stent late loss after drug-eluting coronary stent implantation
Eur. Heart J., July 1, 2007; 28(13): 1583 - 1591.
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CirculationHome page
A. V. Finn, M. Joner, G. Nakazawa, F. Kolodgie, J. Newell, M. C. John, H. K. Gold, and R. Virmani
Pathological Correlates of Late Drug-Eluting Stent Thrombosis: Strut Coverage as a Marker of Endothelialization
Circulation, May 8, 2007; 115(18): 2435 - 2441.
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CirculationHome page
Y.-H. Kim, S.-W. Park, S.-W. Lee, D.-W. Park, S.-C. Yun, C. W. Lee, M.-K. Hong, H.-S. Kim, J.-K. Ko, J.-H. Park, et al.
Sirolimus-Eluting Stent Versus Paclitaxel-Eluting Stent for Patients With Long Coronary Artery Disease
Circulation, November 14, 2006; 114(20): 2148 - 2153.
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J Am Coll CardiolHome page
F. Saia, G. Piovaccari, A. Manari, A. Santarelli, A. Benassi, E. Aurier, P. Sangiorgio, F. Tarantino, G. Geraci, G. Vecchi, et al.
Clinical Outcomes for Sirolimus-Eluting Stents and Polymer-Coated Paclitaxel-Eluting Stents in Daily Practice: Results From a Large Multicenter Registry
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., October 3, 2006; 48(7): 1312 - 1318.
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ANN INTERN MEDHome page
R. Tung, S. Kaul, G. A. Diamond, and P. K. Shah
Narrative review: drug-eluting stents for the management of restenosis: a critical appraisal of the evidence.
Ann Intern Med, June 20, 2006; 144(12): 913 - 919.
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J Am Coll CardiolHome page
F. Alfonso, M.-J. Perez-Vizcayno, R. Hernandez, A. Bethencourt, V. Marti, J. R. Lopez-Minguez, J. Angel, R. Mantilla, C. Moris, A. Cequier, et al.
A Randomized Comparison of Sirolimus-Eluting Stent With Balloon Angioplasty in Patients With In-Stent Restenosis: Results of the Restenosis Intrastent: Balloon Angioplasty Versus Elective Sirolimus-Eluting Stenting (RIBS-II) Trial
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., June 6, 2006; 47(11): 2152 - 2160.
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R. Seabra-Gomes
Percutaneous coronary interventions with drug eluting stents for diabetic patients.
Heart, March 1, 2006; 92(3): 410 - 419.
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J Am Coll CardiolHome page
R. Wessely, A. Schomig, and A. Kastrati
Sirolimus and Paclitaxel on Polymer-Based Drug-Eluting Stents: Similar But Different
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., February 21, 2006; 47(4): 708 - 714.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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J Am Coll CardiolHome page
S. G. Ellis, J. J. Popma, G. W. Stone, and M. E. Russell
Restenosis, Statistics, and Reasonable Inferences
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., January 17, 2006; 47(2): 470 - 471.
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J Am Coll CardiolHome page
A. N. DeMaria, O. Ben-Yehuda, D. Berman, G. K. Feld, G. S. Ginsburg, B. H. Greenberg, W. Y.W. Lew, D. Sahn, and S. Tsimikas
Highlights of the Year in JACC 2005
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., January 3, 2006; 47(1): 184 - 202.
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CirculationHome page
L. Mauri, E. J. Orav, S. C. Candia, D. E. Cutlip, and R. E. Kuntz
Robustness of Late Lumen Loss in Discriminating Drug-Eluting Stents Across Variable Observational and Randomized Trials
Circulation, November 1, 2005; 112(18): 2833 - 2839.
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J Am Coll CardiolHome page
D. J. Kereiakes, R. E. Kuntz, L. Mauri, and M. W. Krucoff
Surrogates, substudies, and real clinical end points in trials of drug-eluting stents
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., April 19, 2005; 45(8): 1206 - 1212.
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