[Balloon dilatation and coronary vascular stent implantation]

To avoid acute complications and restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty coronary stents were developed. For the first time three flexible Palmaz-Schatz stents were implanted after application and fixation by balloon inflation in two patients with severe lesions of the left anterior descending coronary artery. The vessels showed larger diameters with smoother surface and smaller gradients compared to balloon angioplasty as related to a blockade of the elastic properties of the vessel and suggested fixation of intima or media dissection. The implantation of the coronary stents was without complications. The control after 24 h showed an open vessel with unchanged diameter. The patients with the proximal lesion of the left anterior descending coronary artery six months later showed no restenosis and no luminal narrowing. The recanalized left anterior descending coronary artery, which was dilated, received two stents and was reoccluded after six months. Meanwhile, up to four stents were implanted successfully in an additional four patients with open vessels as the 24-h-control. Based on this and previous work the implantation of coronary stents seems to open a new dimension for percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty because vessel occlusions can be prevented. Whether or not the restenosis rate can be reduced has to be demonstrated in additional studies.