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Updated: Jul 8, 2026

A Murine Model of Stent Implantation in the Carotid Artery for the Study of Restenosis
Published on: May 14, 2013
A collaborative systematic review and meta-analysis on 1278 patients undergoing percutaneous drug-eluting stenting
Giuseppe G L Biondi-Zoccai1, Marzia Lotrionte, Claudio Moretti
1Interventional Cardiology, Division of Cardiology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy. gbiondizoccai@gmail.com
Insights
Drug-eluting stents (DES) show promising results for unprotected left main disease (ULM), reducing major adverse cardiovascular events compared to bare-metal stents and CABG. However, further randomized trials are needed to confirm DES efficacy and safety in ULM treatment.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Interventional Cardiology
- Vascular Surgery
Background:
- Unprotected left main disease (ULM) is typically treated with cardiac surgery.
- Drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation is an emerging alternative, but its outcomes require further investigation.
- This study systematically reviews the available evidence on DES implantation for ULM.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and meta-analyze the outcomes of percutaneous DES implantation in patients with ULM.
- To compare DES implantation with other treatment modalities, including bare-metal stents and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature search was conducted across multiple databases.
- Included studies had at least 20 patients and a follow-up of 6 months or more.
- Meta-analysis and meta-regression were used to pool data and assess risk estimates for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).
Main Results:
- Sixteen studies involving 1278 patients were included, with a median follow-up of 10 months.
- DES implantation showed rates of 16.5% MACE, 5.5% death, and 6.5% target vessel revascularization (TVR).
- DES was associated with significantly lower MACE compared to bare-metal stents (OR 0.34) and CABG (OR 0.46, including stroke).
Conclusions:
- Current clinical studies suggest favorable early and midterm outcomes for DES in selected ULM patients.
- Limitations in study validity and the risk of DES thrombosis necessitate caution.
- Randomized controlled trials are essential to definitively establish the role of DES versus surgery for ULM treatment.
Background:
Cardiac surgery is the standard treatment for unprotected left main disease (ULM). Drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation has been recently reported in patients with ULM but with unclear results. We systematically reviewed outcomes of percutaneous DES implantation in ULM.
Methods:
Several databases were searched for clinical studies reporting on > or = 20 patients and > or = 6-month follow-up. The primary end point was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs; ie, death, myocardial infarction, or target vessel revascularization [TVR]) at the longest follow-up. Incidence and adjusted risk estimates were pooled with generic inverse variance random-effect methods (95% CIs).
Results:
From 823 initial citations, 16 studies were included (1278 patients, median follow-up 10 months). Eight were uncontrolled registries, 5 nonrandomized comparisons between DES and bare-metal stents and 3 nonrandomized comparisons between DES and CABG, with no properly randomized trial. Meta-analysis for DES-based PCI showed, at the longest follow-up, rates of 16.5% (11.7%-21.3%) MACE, 5.5% (3.4%-7.7%) death, and 6.5% (3.7%-9.2%) TVR. Comparison of DES versus bare-metal stent disclosed adjusted odds ratios for MACE of 0.34 (0.16-0.71), and DES versus CABG showed adjusted odds ratios for MACE plus stroke of 0.46 (0.24-0.90). Meta-regression showed that disease location predicted MACE (P = .001) and TVR (P = .020), whereas high-risk features predicted death (P = .027).
Conclusions:
Clinical studies report apparently favorable early and midterm results in selected patients with ULM. However, given their limitations in validity and the inherent risk for DES thrombosis, results from randomized trials are still needed to definitely establish the role of DES implantation instead of the reference treatment, surgery.
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