"L-Sandwich" Strategy in the True Coronary Bifurcation Lesions

Overview

The treatment of coronary bifurcation lesions continue to remain challenges. Due to the complexity of the anatomical structure and the limitations of imaging, there are poor attachment and under-expansion of the stent at the branch ostium, which causes in-stent thrombosis and restenosis. The delayed re-endothelialization arise from multi-layer stents. The one-stent strategy causes the displacement of the plaques and ridges of the branch ostium, and thus insufficient blood flow to the branches. The "L-sandwich" strategy, stents were implanted in the main vessel(MV) and the shaft of side branch(SB) respectively, then a drug-coated balloon(DCB) was applied to the ostium of the SB, to improve the tedious operation process in true bifurcation lesions and reduce postoperative complications. The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of the "sandwich" strategy.

This is a study to evaluate the application of L-Sandwich in true bifurcation coronary artery disease.All eligible patients were randomly divided into three groups: experimental group 1: dual stent group: both main vessel(MV) and side branch(SB) were stented, and DK-Crush or Culotte were performed according to different pathological characteristics. Experimental group 2: single stent + drug-coated balloon（DCB）: stent was implanted in the MV, and only drug balloon was used in the SB.Experimental group 3: L-Sandwich : stent was implanted in the MV, and the branch was implanted 3-5mm away from the ostium，and the DCB was implanted in the ostium of the branch.IVUS+ angiography was used to guide the operation and evaluate the outcome.