Intracoronary ultrasound-guided stenting improves outcomes: a meta-analysis of randomized trials

Intracoronary ultrasound (IVUS) has been used as an adjunctive method in order to optimize implantation of stents. However, the impact of this method in some outcomes is controversial.

To systematically review the impact of routine IVUS-guided coronary stent as compared to angiographic-guided, on clinical and angiographic outcomes.

A search of databases (MEDLINE, Cochrane CENTRAL, EMBASE) and references of published studies, from 1982 to 2010, was conducted. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that compared angiography plus IVUS-guided (IVUS) vs. angiography alone guided (ANGIO) coronary stent implantation were included. Minimum follow-up was 6 months and the outcomes assessed were major adverse cardiac events (MACE), target lesion revascularization (TLR) and angiographic restenosis. Two reviewers independently extracted the data. Summary risk ratio and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated with random-effects models. The GRADE approach was used to determine the overall quality of evidence for each outcome.

Out of 3,631 articles identified, 8 RCTs evaluating a total of 2,341 patients were included. There was a 27% reduction in angiographic restenosis (95%CI: 3%-46%) and a 38% reduction in TLR (95%CI: 17%-53%) in favor of IVUS vs. ANGIO. However, MACE were not reduced by IVUS (RR: 0.79; 95%CI: 0.61-1.03). The MACE data represent only 47% of the optimal information size required to reliably detect a plausible treatment effect.

We observed that IVUS-guided coronary stenting provides significant reductions in TLR and angiographic restenosis compared to angiographically-guided stenting, but it does not reduce MACE.