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Published on: September 14, 2009
Drug-eluting stent strut distribution: a comparison between Cypher and Taxus by optical coherence tomography
Yoriyasu Suzuki1, Fumiaki Ikeno, Alan C Yeung
1Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.
Objectives:
The purpose of this study is to compare the stent strut distribution between Cypher and Taxus stents by using optical coherence tomography (OCT) in a phantom model.
Background:
Previous studies demonstrated that the distribution of stent struts might affect amount of neointima proliferation after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation.
Methods:
We developed experimental models made of silicon tubing angled at 0 degrees, 30 degrees, and 60 degrees. Testing was performed on two types of stents, Cypher and Taxus, which represent current FDA-approved DES. After deployment, OCT was performed and measurements were obtained as follows at two cross sections; maximum and minimum numbers of visualized stent strut sites: (1) number of visualized stent struts; (2) angle between stent struts (interstrut angle); (3) mean interstrut angle; (4) the delta mean angle was defined as the margin between each value of the interstrut angle and mean interstrut angle.
Results:
In the Cypher stent, both the interstrut angle and the delta mean angle were significantly better than all other stents evaluated (all comparisons between stents; p < 0.05, respectively).
Conclusions:
The present study found that the stent strut distribution of two stents, Cypher and Taxus, which represent current FDA-approved drug-eluting systems, were significantly different and suggested that the Cypher stent maintained a more regular strut distribution despite expansion in various anatomical situations, and therefore would provide the most regular and predictable drug delivery.
