[The treatment of coronary atherosclerosis: effect of the use of stents on immediate and long term results of coronary angioplasty].

Immediate and long term results of 2 methods of coronary angioplasty (balloon dilatation and stenting) were analyzed retrospectively. During 10 years proportion of stent implantations increased 30-fold reaching 95-97% of coronary interventions. This was associated with improvement of immediate results of angioplasty: lowered rates of myocardial infarctions, urgent coronary artery bypass graftings and acute coronary artery occlusions (from 2.7% after balloon angioplasty to 0.6% after stenting). Improved long-term prognosis after stenting manifested in lower frequency of cardiovascular events. Five year survival was 98,8 and 92.7% after stenting and balloon angioplasty, respectively (p=0.004). However effect of stenting on rates of angiographic restenosis and repeat revascularizations was less pronounced (27.1 and 30.4%, respectively, after stenting vs. 30.1 and 34.5%, respectively, after balloon angioplasty).