Percutaneous coronary intervention for bifurcation coronary lesions using optimised angiographic guidance: the 18th consensus document from the European Bifurcation Club.

The 2023 European Bifurcation Club (EBC) meeting took place in Warsaw in October, and the latest evidence for the use of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) to optimise percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) on coronary bifurcation lesions (CBLs) was a major focus. The topic generated deep discussions and general appraisal on the potential benefits of IVUS and OCT in PCI procedures. Nevertheless, despite an increasing recognition of IVUS and OCT capabilities and their recognised central role for guidance in complex CBL and left main PCI, it is expected that angiography will continue to be the primary guidance modality for CBL PCI, principally due to educational and economic barriers.

Bifurcation left main stenting with or without intracoronary imaging: Outcomes from the EBC MAIN trial.

Background: The impact of intracoronary imaging on outcomes, after provisional versus dual-stenting for bifurcation left main (LM) lesions, is unknown.

Objectives: We investigated the effect of intracoronary imaging in the EBC MAIN trial (European Bifurcation Club LM Coronary Stent study).

Methods: Four hundred and sixty-seven patients were randomized to dual-stenting or a stepwise provisional strategy.

The 17th expert consensus document of the European Bifurcation Club - techniques to preserve access to the side branch during stepwise provisional stenting.

Provisional stenting has become the default technique for the treatment of most coronary bifurcation lesions. However, the side branch (SB) can become compromised after main vessel (MV) stenting and restoring SB patency can be difficult in challenging anatomies. Angiographic and intracoronary imaging criteria can predict the risk of side branch closure and may encourage use of side branch protection strategies.

Management of life-threatening deformation of obstructive transcatheter mitral valve replacement bioprosthesis with balloon inflation in left ventricular outflow tract: a case report.

Background: Left ventricular outflow track (LVOT) obstruction (LVOTO) is a severe complication of transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) procedures, with an uncertain prognosis and only few strategies available to prevent its occurrence. TMVR is thus contraindicated in some patients because of a high risk of LVOTO onset. We demonstrate how LVOTO can be managed with a balloon inflation in the LVOT and a D-shaped deformation of the bioprosthetic valve.

Impact of technique on bifurcation stent outcomes in the European Bifurcation Club Left Main Coronary Trial.

Background: Techniques for provisional and dual-stent left main bifurcation stenting require optimization.

Aim: To identify technical variables influencing procedural outcomes and periprocedural myocardial infarction following left main bifurcation intervention.

Methods: Procedural and outcome data were analyzed in 438 patients from the per-protocol cohort of the European Bifurcation Club Left Main Trial (EBC MAIN).

Definitions and Standardized Endpoints for Treatment of Coronary Bifurcations.

The Bifurcation Academic Research Consortium (Bif-ARC) project originated from the need to overcome the paucity of standardization and comparability between studies involving bifurcation coronary lesions. This document is the result of a collaborative effort between academic research organizations and the most renowned interventional cardiology societies focused on bifurcation lesions in Europe, the United States, and Asia. This consensus provides standardized definitions for bifurcation lesions; the criteria to judge the side branch relevance; the procedural, mechanistic, and clinical endpoints for every type of bifurcation study; and the follow-up methods.

Definitions and Standardized Endpoints for Treatment of Coronary Bifurcations.

The Bifurcation Academic Research Consortium (Bif-ARC) project originated from the need to overcome the paucity of standardization and comparability between studies involving bifurcation coronary lesions. This document is the result of a collaborative effort between academic research organizations and the most renowned interventional cardiology societies focused on bifurcation lesions in Europe, the United States, and Asia. This consensus provides standardized definitions for bifurcation lesions; the criteria to judge the side branch relevance; the procedural, mechanistic, and clinical endpoints for every type of bifurcation study; and the follow-up methods.

Treatment of coronary bifurcation lesions, part II: implanting two stents. The 16th expert consensus document of the European Bifurcation Club.

The European Bifurcation Club (EBC) supports a continuous review of the field of coronary artery bifurcation interventions and aims to facilitate a scientific discussion and an exchange of ideas on the management of bifurcation disease. The recent focus of meetings and consensus statements has been on the technical issues in bifurcation stenting, recognising that the final result of a bifurcation procedure and the long-term outcome for our patients are strongly influenced by factors, including preprocedural strategy, stenting technique selection, performance of optimal procedural steps, the ability to identify and correct complications and finally, and most important, the overall performance of the operator. Continuous refinement of bifurcation stenting techniques and the promotion of education and training in bifurcation stenting techniques represent a major clinical need.

The European bifurcation club Left Main Coronary Stent study: a randomized comparison of stepwise provisional vs. systematic dual stenting strategies (EBC MAIN).

Background: Patients with non-left-main coronary bifurcation lesions are usually best treated with a stepwise provisional approach. However, patients with true left main stem bifurcation lesions have been shown in one dedicated randomized study to benefit from systematic dual stent implantation.

Methods And Results: Four hundred and sixty-seven patients with true left main stem bifurcation lesions requiring intervention were recruited to the EBC MAIN study in 11 European countries.

Percutaneous coronary intervention for bifurcation coronary lesions: the 15 consensus document from the European Bifurcation Club.

The 15th European Bifurcation Club (EBC) meeting was held in Barcelona in October 2019. It facilitated a renewed consensus on coronary bifurcation lesions (CBL) and unprotected left main (LM) percutaneous interventions. Bifurcation stenting techniques continue to be refined, developed and tested.

Coronary Access and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Up to 3 Years After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation With a Balloon-Expandable Valve.

Background: Coronary artery disease and aortic stenosis often coexist. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has emerged as a valid therapeutic option for younger, lower-risk patients who may eventually require coronary artery disease treatment. Thus, post-TAVI coronary access (CA) and percutaneous coronary intervention are expected to increase.

Balloon-Expandable Versus Self-Expanding Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: A Propensity-Matched Comparison From the FRANCE-TAVI Registry.

Background: No randomized study powered to compare balloon expandable (BE) with self expanding (SE) transcatheter heart valves (THVs) on individual end points after transcatheter aortic valve replacement has been conducted to date.

Methods: From January 2013 to December 2015, the FRANCE-TAVI nationwide registry (Registry of Aortic Valve Bioprostheses Established by Catheter) included 12 141 patients undergoing BE-THV (Edwards, n=8038) or SE-THV (Medtronic, n=4103) for treatment of native aortic stenosis. Long term mortality status was available in all patients (median 20 months; interquartile range, 14 to 30).

Percutaneous coronary intervention for obstructive bifurcation lesions: the 14th consensus document from the European Bifurcation Club.

The European Bifurcation Club recommends an approach to a bifurcation stenosis which involves careful assessment, planning and a sequential provisional approach. In the minority of lesions where two stents are required, careful deployment and optimal expansion are essential to achieve a long-term result.

Joint consensus on the use of OCT in coronary bifurcation lesions by the European and Japanese bifurcation clubs.

Coronary artery bifurcation lesions comprise approximately 15-20% of all percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) and constitute a complex lesion subgroup. Intravascular optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a promising adjunctive tool for guiding coronary bifurcation with its unrivalled high resolution. Compared to angiography, intravascular OCT has a clear advantage in that it depicts ostial lesion(s) in bifurcation without the misleading two-dimensional appearance of conventional angiography such as overlap and foreshortening.

Percutaneous coronary intervention in left main coronary artery disease: the 13th consensus document from the European Bifurcation Club.

The 2017 European Bifurcation Club (EBC) meeting was held in Porto (Portugal) and allowed a multidisciplinary international faculty to review and discuss the latest data collected in the field of coronary bifurcation interventions. In particular, the topic of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on left main coronary artery (LM) disease was highlighted as a contemporary priority. Herein, we summarise the key LM anatomy features, the diagnostic modalities and available data that are relevant for a patient's procedural management.

Bench testing and coronary artery bifurcations: a consensus document from the European Bifurcation Club.

This is a consensus document from the European Bifurcation Club concerning bench testing in coronary artery bifurcations. It is intended to provide guidelines for bench assessment of stents and other strategies in coronary bifurcation treatment where the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or International Organization for Standardization (ISO) guidelines are limited or absent. These recommendations provide guidelines rather than a step-by-step manual.

Percutaneous coronary intervention for the left main stem and other bifurcation lesions: 12th consensus document from the European Bifurcation Club.

The European Bifurcation Club (EBC) was initiated in 2004 to support a continuous overview of the field of coronary artery bifurcation interventions and aims to facilitate a scientific discussion and an exchange of ideas on the management of bifurcation disease. The EBC hosts an annual, two-day compact meeting, dedicated to bifurcations, which brings together physicians, pathologists, engineers, biologists, physicists, mathematicians, epidemiologists and statisticians for detailed discussions. Every meeting is finalised with a consensus statement that reflects the unique opportunity of combining the opinion of interventional cardiologists with the opinion of a large variety of other scientists on bifurcation management.

Temporal Trends in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in France: FRANCE 2 to FRANCE TAVI.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is standard therapy for patients with severe aortic stenosis who are at high surgical risk. However, national data regarding procedural characteristics and clinical outcomes over time are limited.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess nationwide performance trends and clinical outcomes of TAVR during a 6-year period.

6- Versus 24-Month Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Implantation of Drug-Eluting Stents in Patients Nonresistant to Aspirin: Final Results of the ITALIC Trial (Is There a Life for DES After Discontinuation of Clopidogrel).

Objectives: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that 6-month dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) is noninferior to 24-month DAPT in aspirin-sensitive patients.

Background: The ITALIC (Is There a Life for DES After Discontinuation of Clopidogrel) trial showed that rates of bleeding and thrombotic events at 1 year were much the same with 6 versus 12 months of DAPT after percutaneous coronary intervention with second-generation drug-eluting stents. In this report, 2-year follow-up is presented.

Sequential Proximal Optimizing Technique in Provisional Bifurcation Stenting With Everolimus-Eluting Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold: Fractal Coronary Bifurcation Bench for Comparative Test Between Absorb and XIENCE Xpedition.

Objectives: The aim of this fractal bifurcation bench study was to compare provisional bifurcation stenting with a "re-POT" sequence, comprising a proximal optimizing technique (POT), side branch inflation, and final POT, between a bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) and a metallic stent.

Background: Re-POT proved significantly better than kissing balloon inflation in maintaining circular geometry without overstretch in metal stents, while significantly reducing side branch ostium strut obstruction and global strut malapposition. This should be useful for BVSs, which are more easily breakable.

Comparative Analysis of Sequential Proximal Optimizing Technique Versus Kissing Balloon Inflation Technique in Provisional Bifurcation Stenting: Fractal Coronary Bifurcation Bench Test.

Objectives: This study used a fractal bifurcation bench model to compare 6 optimization sequences for coronary bifurcation provisional stenting, including 1 novel sequence without kissing balloon inflation (KBI), comprising initial proximal optimizing technique (POT) + side-branch inflation (SBI) + final POT, called "re-POT."

Background: In provisional bifurcation stenting, KBI fails to improve the rate of major adverse cardiac events. Proximal geometric deformation increases the rate of in-stent restenosis and target lesion revascularization.

Technical aspects of the provisional side branch stenting strategy.

Provisional side branch (SB) stenting is the recommended treatment strategy in the vast majority of bifurcation lesions. Over the past 10 years, advances in fundamental knowledge have led to a better understanding and to improvements of this technical approach. This strategy has reached maturity, and long-term clinical results are now comparable to those of non-bifurcation lesions.

Lessons from the real bench: non-BRS.

Bench testing of stents used in bifurcations can provide information on the general properties that influence performance including crossing profile, radial strength, recoil, flexibility and radiopacity. Problems with device delivery can be clarified. Bench testing identified that side branch dilatation caused stent distortion and elucidated correction strategies.

Bioresorbable scaffolds on the bench.

Bioresorbable scaffolds (BRS) in bifurcations have all of the potential advantages of BRS in non-bifurcating lesions and, in addition, the absorption of side branch (SB) ostial struts may at least partially release the branch from "jail". Polymeric BRS struts may break when post-dilated beyond their safe limits and multiple fractures may lead to adverse clinical events. Bench testing provides insights into the behaviour of different BRS in bifurcations and helps the interventional cardiologist to choose, deliver and post-dilate appropriately.