Published online Aug 26, 2013. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v5.i8.313
Revised: May 1, 2013
Accepted: July 17, 2013
Published online: August 26, 2013
Processing time: 170 Days and 0.7 Hours
Second generation drug eluting stents (DES) have shown better safety and efficacy in comparison to first generation DES, because of thinner struts, nondurable polymers and coating with better anti-proliferative drugs. The newer DES with cobalt alloy base have demonstrated a greater trackability, deliverability, conformability, flexibility and radio-opacity. However, these thin strut stents have a downside of poor longitudinal axial strength, and therefore get easily deformed/compressed at their end with a slight trauma during exchange of various catheters. We hereby report two cases of “longitudinal stent compression (LSC)” of everolimus-eluting stent, which happened during percutaneous coronary intervention of right coronary artery. Both the cases were successfully managed with non-compliant balloon dilatation. Various reasons for LSC and its management are discussed in the article.
Core tip: The newer second generation drug eluting stent (DES) have shown a greater safety and efficacy compared to first generation DES, because of thinner struts, nondurable polymers and coating with better anti-proliferative drugs. Though their performance is excellent for various type of coronary lesions, one downside is that they are susceptible for compression/ deformation because of poor longitudinal axial strength. We came across longitudinal stent compression (LSC) of everolimus-eluting stent in two cases, which was successfully managed by balloon dilatation. Various reasons for LSC and its management are discussed in the article.