Clinical outcome of patients with implantation of second-generation drug-eluting stents in the right coronary ostium: insights from 2-year follow-up of the TWENTE trial.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to assess the impact on clinical outcome of right coronary artery (RCA) ostial coverage with second-generation drug-eluting stents (DES).

Background: Treatment of the aorta-ostial (AO) region of the RCA with bare metal stents and first-generation DES has been associated with a higher risk of target-lesion revascularization (TLR).

Methods: Of the 1,391 patients of the prospective TWENTE trial, we identified 321 (23%) with single-vessel RCA treatment, who were categorized into stenting with AO stent coverage (AOC) versus stenting without AOC. The AO region was defined as 3 mm from the aortic orifice.

Results: The 67 (20.9%) patients with AOC showed more severe lesion calcifications than the 254 patients without AOC (31.3% vs. 12.6%; P < 0.01). In the AOC group, there was a higher prevalence of hypercholesterolemia and family history of coronary disease (75.4% vs. 61.6%, and 68.7% vs. 53.5%, respectively; P = 0.03). During 2-year follow-up, patients in the AOC group had a higher incidence of TLR (7.5% vs. 1.6%; P = 0.02). Following adjustment for confounders, AOC independently predicted TLR with an adjusted hazard ratio of 4.1 (95% CI: 1.17-14.39; P = 0.03).

Conclusion: AO treatment of the RCA with second-generation DES is feasible, but our data suggest that stent coverage of the right AO segment remains a predictor of TLR.