Angiographic study of the clinical liaison of drug-eluting stent and paclitaxel-eluting balloon in unifocal side branch ostium stenosis (ASCLEPIUS)

A reliable stenting strategy for treating isolated side branch (SB) ostium stenosis is not well established. The purpose of this study was to examine the 6-month angiographic outcome of a novel technique, called the shoulder technique, on this lesion subtype. Symptomatic patients with isolated SB ostium stenosis, defined as ≥75% diameter stenosis at SB ostium and <50% diameter stenosis in main vessel (MV), were treated with paclitaxel-eluting balloon in MV and drug-eluting stent in SB using the shoulder technique. Angiographic restudy was performed at 5–9 months and clinical follow-up was scheduled regularly every 3 months. There were 46 patients of age 66 ± 12 years with male predominance (76%) recruited. Diagonal ostium (67%) was the most frequent target lesion site. The size and length of paclitaxel-eluting balloon and drug-eluting stent used in MV and SB were 3.01 ± 0.25 and 20 ± 4 mm, and 2.39 ± 0.25 and 17 ± 6 mm, respectively. Angiographic restudy was performed on 43 (93.5%) patients at 6.5 ± 1.6 months. The late loss in MV and SB were 0.04 ± 0.19 and 0.19 ± 0.32 mm, respectively. Angiographic restensosis was seen in 2 (4.7%) patients at SB, whereas no stenosis was induced in MV. Improvement of symptom was reported in 36 (78%) patients. At 1-year follow-up, no death, myocardial infarction, and stent thrombosis was observed; target vessel revascularization was performed on 3 (6.5%) patients. Treatment of isolated SB ostium stenosis using the shoulder technique is associated with a favorable short-term angiographic outcome.