Extensive arterial repair one year after paclitaxel-coated nitinol drug-eluting stent vs. bare-metal stent implantation in the superficial femoral artery

Arterial repair differences between paclitaxel-coated nitinol drug-eluting stent (DES) vs. bare-metal stent (BMS) up to 1 year after implantation in the superficial femoral artery (SFA) have not been well characterized. We compared angioscopic findings 1 year after implantation in the SFA of 22 DES in 18 patients and 12 BMS in 9 patients (follow-up period 354 ± 49 vs. 383 ± 81 days, P = 0.20). Neointimal coverage (NIC) was graded as: 0, stent struts exposed; 1, struts bulged into the lumen, although covered; 2, struts embedded by the neointima, but translucent; and 3, struts fully embedded and invisible. NIC was defined as heterogeneous when NIC grade variation was ≥1. Presence of thrombus and yellow plaques (YP) was assessed. Baseline patient and lesion characteristics were similar between the groups. In terms of procedural characteristics, stent diameter was smaller in DES than in BMS (6.5 ± 0.5 vs. 7.4 ± 0.8 mm, P = 0.0020). Both DES (grade 2 5 %, grade 3 95 %) and BMS (grade 3 100 %) revealed dominant NIC grades of 2 or 3 (P = 0.46), however, DES showed greater NIC heterogeneity than BMS (91 vs. 42 %, P = 0.004). Both thrombus and YP were more frequently observed in DES than in BMS (64 vs. 17 %, P = 0.001; 95 vs. 67 %, P = 0.042, respectively). In conclusion, although arterial repair was limited after DES implantation in the SFA, it was extensive at 1 year.