Comparison of Different PCI Strategies for Coronary DES In-stent Restenosis: A Bayesian Network Meta-analysis

Though superior to bare-metal stents (BMS), drug-eluting stents (DES) based PCI still have significant in-stent restenosis (ISR). Balloon angioplasty (BA), drug-coated balloons (DCBs), and DES are common modalities to treat ISR. The existing guidelines recommend treating ISR with either DCB or DES for BMS-ISR and DES-ISR, despite differences in the underlying mechanisms. Because DES are currently the most used stents worldwide, we performed a network meta-analysis (NMA) to compare DES-ISR treatment strategies.

We searched Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, Embase, and Scopus for relevant studies published until March 30, 2024 and performed a Bayesian NMA to synthesize direct and indirect evidence. The primary outcome was a target lesion revascularization (TLR) at follow-up.

Of 1202 studies, 30 were deemed eligible, with 15 being randomized studies. This included 8016 patients with DES-ISR who were assigned to 12 different PCI strategies. In the NMA for DES-ISR, paclitaxel-eluting stent (76.42) was the most effective strategy for TLR; paclitaxel-coated balloon (PCB) and scoring balloon angioplasty (75.88) for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE); sirolimus-coated balloon (SCB) for target lesion failure (64.16), myocardial infarction (93.57), and stent thrombosis (98.53); and PCB for all-cause death (76.39) and cardiac death (83.74) based on SUCRA value. BA-based strategies were less effective alternatives for DES-ISR treatment with DCB or DES.

DES and DCB PCI such as PCB and SCB should be considered for treatment of coronary DES-ISR to achieve the most clinical efficacy and safety benefits for MACE. Further studies are required for more robust evidence on different treatment strategies.