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Updated: Jan 23, 2026

Implantation of Human-Sized Coronary Stents into Rat Abdominal Aorta Using a Trans-Femoral Access
Published on: November 19, 2020
Usefulness of the trans-stent fractional flow reserve gradient for predicting clinical outcomes
Hyoung-Mo Yang1, Hong-Seok Lim1, Myeong-Ho Yoon1
1Department of Cardiology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea.
Objectives:
We evaluated the usefulness of a fractional flow reserve (FFR) gradient across the stent (ΔFFRstent ) for long-term clinical outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with a drug-eluting stent (DES).
Background:
The clinical meaning of a trans-stent pressure gradient after DES implantation has not been estimated adequately.
Methods:
FFR pull-back and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) were performed after successful PCI in 135 left anterior descending artery lesions. ΔFFRstent was defined as the FFR gradient across the stent. The ΔFFRstent/length was defined as the ΔFFRstent value divided by the total stent length multiplied by 10. Major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) were the composite of all-cause death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization.
Results:
Despite successful PCI, ΔFFRstent > 0 was observed in 98.5% of cases. ΔFFRstent ≥ 0.04 and ΔFFRstent/length ≥ 0.009 predicted suboptimal stenting defined as final minimal stent area < 5.5 mm2 . During 2,183 ± 898 days, the MACE-free survival rate was significantly lower in patients with ΔFFRstent ≥ 0.04 and ΔFFRstent/length ≥ 0.009 compared to those with lower values (69.6 vs. 93.4%, log-rank p = .031; 72.1 vs. 97.7%, log-rank p = .003, respectively). ΔFFRstent/length ≥ 0.009 (hazard ratio 10.1, p = .032) was an independent predictor of MACE.
Conclusion:
A trans-stent FFR gradient was frequently observed. ΔFFRstent and ΔFFRstent/length are related to long-term outcomes in DES-treated patients.
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