Impact of intravascular ultrasound and final kissing balloon dilatation on long-term clinical outcome in percutaneous revascularization with 1-stent strategy for left main coronary artery stenosis in drug-eluting stent era

It remains uncertain whether intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) use and final kissing balloon (FKB) dilatation would be standard care of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with a simple 1-stent technique in unprotected left main coronary artery (LMCA) stenosis. This study sought to investigate the impact of IVUS use and FKB dilatation on long-term major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in PCI with a simple 1-stent technique for unprotected LMCA stenosis.Between June 2006 and December 2012, 255 patients who underwent PCI with 1 drug-eluting stent for LMCA stenosis were analyzed. Mean follow-up duration was 1663 ± 946 days. Long-term MACEs were defined as death, nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI) and repeat revascularizations.During the follow-up, 72 (28.2%) MACEs occurred including 38 (14.9%) deaths, 21 (8.2%) nonfatal MIs and 13 (5.1%) revascularizations. The IVUS examination and FKB dilatation were done in 158 (62.0%) and 119 (46.7%), respectively. IVUS use (20.3 versus 41.2%; log-rank P < 0.001), not FKB dilatation (30.3 versus 26.5%; log-rank P = 0.614), significantly reduced MACEs. In multivariate analysis, IVUS use was a negative predictor of MACEs [hazards ratio 0.51; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.29-0.88; P = 0.017], whereas FKB dilatation (hazard ratio 1.68; 95% CI, 1.01-2.80; P = 0.047) was a positive predictor of MACEs. In bifurcation LMCA stenosis, IVUS use (18.7 versus 48.0%; log-rank P < 0.001) significantly reduced MACEs. In nonbifurcation LMCA stenosis, FKB dilatation showed a trend of increased MACEs (P = 0.076).IVUS examination is helpful in reducing clinical events in PCI for LMCA bifurcation lesions, whereas mandatory FKB dilatation after the 1-stent technique might be harmful in nonbifurcation LMCA stenosis.