A CONTROLLED TRIAL OF CORTICOSTEROIDS TO PREVENT RESTENOSIS AFTER CORONARY ANGIOPLASTY

A multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted to determine if cortico-steroids influence the development of restenosis after successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Either placebo or 1.0 g methylprednisolone (steroid) was infused intravenously 2-24 hours before planned PTCA in 915 patients. The PTCA patient success rate was 87% (mean) in the eight centers. There were no differences in clinical or angiographie baseline variables between the two groups. End-point analysis (angiographic restenosis, death, recurrent ischemia necessitating early restudy, and coronary artery bypass graft surgery) showed that there was no significant difference comparing placebo- with steroid-treated patients. Angiographic restudy showed the lesion restenosis rate to be 39% (120 of 307 lesions) after placebo and 40% (117 of 291) after steroid treatment (p=NS). We conclude that pulse steroid pretreatment does not influence the overall restenosis rate after successful PTCA.