A comparison of debulking versus dilatation of bifurcation coronary arterial narrowings (from the CAVEAT I trial)

Compared with PTCA, DCA achieved better immediate relief of stenosis in bifurcation narrowings, in selected patients. This improvement in residual stenosis, however, was offset by a significantly higher rate of side-branch closure and non-Q-wave myocardial infarction. There was no difference in the incidence of death, Q-wave myocardial infarction, or restenosis between the 2 devices.