Stent placement compared with balloon angioplasty for obstructed coronary artery disease in Thai elderly patients: Initial result and 6 months follow-up

Percutaneous Old Balloon Angioplasty (POBA) is accepted worldwide for the treatment of obstructive coronary artery disease because this technique is safe, and quick and the patient may return to work earlier than with bypass surgery (particularly elderly patients). But the major problem with POBA is restenosis which occurs between 20-40 per cent. Stent placement has been reported to reduce the restenosis rate to 10-20 per cent. Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of stent placement with those of balloon angioplasty on clinical and angiographic outcomes in elderly Thai patients with obstructive coronary artery disease. Method: The study was a randomized controlled trial. The sample size was 45 lesions in 42 patients who were assigned into 2 groups; 23 in the balloon angioplasty group and 22 in the stent placement group (Crown Stent). Clinical information and coronary angiography were recorded and performed at the time of the index procedure and six months later. Results: There was 100 per cent procedural success in 22 lesions treated in the stent group and 82.6 per cent in the 23 lesions treated in the balloon angioplasty group. Patients in the stent group had a lesser degree of stenosis immediately after the procedure (8.78 ± 8.63 vs 30.92 ± 9.01%, p < 0.001) and a greater minimal luminal diameter (MLD) (3.04 ± 0.44 vs 2.15 ± 0.33 mm, p < 0.001). There were no major complications in either group during the procedure or during their hospital stay. These were not maintained at the six months follow-up. (26.88 ± 16.23 vs 33.82 ± 14.63 mm, p = 0.19, 2.28 ± 0.67 vs 2.01 ± 0.51 mm, p = 0.17) for the degree of stenosis and the MLD respectively. The restenosis rate, which was the primary endpoint of the study, was 4.5 per cent in the stent group and 21 per cent in the balloon angioplasty group (p = 0.10) Conclusions: Stenting in Thai elderly ischemic patients has a higher procedural success rate when compared with balloon angioplasty. The restenosis rate of stenting is also lower than that of balloon angioplasty but did not reach statistical significance. However, both techniques had no major complications either during the procedure or in-hospital.