Impact of final stent dimensions on long-term results following sirolimus-eluting stent implantation: Serial intravascular ultrasound analysis from the sirius trial Original Research Article

Objectives We assessed the predictive value of minimum stent area (MSA) for long-term patency of sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) implantation compared to bare metal stents (BMS). Background Although MSA is a consistent predictor of in-stent restenosis, its predictive value in BMS is still limited because of biologic variability in the restenosis process. Methods From the SIRolImUS (SIRIUS) trial, 122 cases (SES: 72; BMS: 50) with complete serial intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) (baseline and 8-month follow-up) were analyzed. Postprocedure MSA and follow-up minimum lumen area (MLA) were obtained. Based on previous physiologic studies, adequate stent patency at follow-up was defined as MLA >4 mm2. Results In both groups, a significant positive correlation was observed between baseline MSA and follow-up MLA (SES: p < 0.0001, BMS: p < 0.0001). However, SES showed higher correlation than BMS (0.8 vs. 0.65) with a higher regression coefficient (0.92 vs. 0.59). The sensitivity and specificity curves identified different optimal thresholds of MSA to predict adequate follow-up MLA: 5 mm2 for SES and 6.5 mm2 for BMS. The positive predictive values with these cutoff points were 90% and 56%, respectively. Conclusions In this SIRIUS IVUS substudy, SES reduced both biologic variability and restenosis, resulting in increased predictability of long-term stent patency with postprocedure MSA. In addition, SES had a considerably lower optimal MSA threshold compared to BMS.