Three-year outcome after coronary stenting versus bypass surgery for the treatment of multivessel disease.

Background: The primary results of Arterial Revascularization Therapy Study reported a greater need for repeated revascularization after percutaneous coronary intervention with stenting (PCI). However, PCI was less expensive than coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and offered the same degree of protection against death, stroke, and myocardial infarction.

Methods And Results: Patients with multivessel disease (n=1205) were randomly assigned to either CABG or PCI and followed up for up to 3 years.