Emergency Coronary Stenting with Wiktor Stent Ñ Immediate and Late Results

In case of failed angioplasty, coronary stenting has gradually emerged as a non-surgical method to restore vessel patency and optimize coronary blood flow. There is still little clinical and angiographic information on the use of radiopaque single loose interdigitating wire stents in angioplasty complicated by threatened or acute closure. Seventy-one patients received Wiktor stents after threatened vessel closure in 53 cases and acute closure in 18 cases. Stent delivery was successful in 98%. In-hospital death occurred in 1 case (1.4%). Stents occlusion were faced in 10 cases (14%), of which 6 presented early and 4 late after the procedure. Urgent bypass surgery was needed in 9 cases (12%) and 7 patients (10%) developed acute myocardial infarction. Serious bleeding complications occurred in 7 cases (10%) and vascular repair was performed in 4 patients (5%). During a follow-up of 20 +/- 10 months, 2 patients died, no myocardial infarction was observed and recurrence of angina was noted in 17 patients (24%). Angiographic analysis showed an acute gain in minimal lumen diameter of 1.71 +/- 0.22 mm and a late loss of 0.63 +/- 0.17 mm. Angiographic restenosis (diameter stenosis > 50%) presented in 20% of patients. Therefore, Wiktor stenting yields similar results than currently used stents in acute closure and strictly defined threatened vessel closure following angioplasty.