BACKGROUNDBecause no large prospective studies are available, this study evaluated the clinical outcomes of two drug eluting stents in bifurcation lesions.

METHODSLesions with diameter of side branch = 2.5 mm were selected. From October 2003 to June 2005, 112 patients with 113 bifurcation lesions were treated by two drug eluting stents (DESs), technique. The location of bifurcation lesions were left anterior descending coronary artery/diagonal in 62 patients, left main distal bifurcation in 32, left circumflex coronary artery/obtute marginal branch in 18 and right coronary artery distal bifurcation in 1. Procedures for bifurcation lesions were crush or modified crush technique in 64, "T" stenting technique in 27, modified "Y" stenting, kiss stenting, "V" stenting as well as culotte stenting technique in 11, 5, 3 and 3, respectively. Among 226 lesions, 91 Cypher or Cypher select stents, 74 TAXUS and 67 Firebird were used. Final kiss balloon dilation was performed in 60 (93.7%) with crush technique after stenting.

RESULTSSuccess rate of percutaneous coronary intervention for the bifurcation lesions was 100%. One patient, who developed inhospital acute myocardial infarction due to subacute thrombosis, was successfully treated by a second intervention. Major adverse cardiac events rate in-hospital was 0.89% (1/112) and during followup was 7.14% (8/112). No death occurred during the followup of all patients. Angiographic followup was effected for 46 patients, restenosis for eight, coronary artery bypass grafting for 1 and a repeat intervention for 5. Restenosis involving TAXUS, Cypher and Firebird was 5 (5/18, 27.8%), 2 (2/17, 11.8%) and 1 (1/11, 9.1%), respectively (P > 0.05). Total restenotic rate was 17.4% (8/46).

CONCLUSIONSWhen ostium of side branch has severe stenosis and >or= 2.5 mm in diameter, two-stent strategy in this bifurcation lesion is safe and effective, and the outcomes are satisfactory. Restenotic rates were not different between TAXUS, Cypher and Firebird DESs.