The Balloon-Assisted Double-Kissing T-Stenting Technique: Concept, In Vitro Model, and Case Examples

In complex bifurcation percutaneous coronary intervention, 2-stent strategies are often required. Commonly used 2-stent techniques can lead to suboptimal results due to their complexity. We developed the balloon-assisted double-kissing T-stenting (DKT) technique, which uses balloons to optimize stent placement, delivery, and final architecture.

With the balloon-assisted DKT technique, a balloon is inflated into the main branch (MB) to identify the best position of the side-branch (SB) stent instead of relying on angiography. DKT aims at supporting the SB ostium with stent crowns instead of distorted open cell(s), by achieving a longitudinal deformation with minimal crush of the SB stent upon implantation of the MB stent. This hypothesis was tested on a bench model. We report how the technique was performed in 2 cases and provide intracoronary imaging of the results.

As hypothesized, DKT resulted in a longitudinal accordion-like deformation and minimal crush effect on bench. The SB ostium was supported by stent crowns. The SB wall opposed to the carina was well covered with crowns from the MB stent after proximal optimization technique and final kissing. The technique was successfully used in 2 complex left main cases with perfect coverage of the SB ostium as assessed with intracoronary imaging.

The balloon-assisted DKT is a simple technique that combines strengths of double-kissing crush and culotte techniques, results in appropriate SB ostium coverage, and deserves further investigation.