Sirolimus-eluting stents for the prevention of restenosis in a worst-case scenario of diffuse and recurrent in-stent restenosis.

For recurrent in-stent restenosis (ISR), surgical revascularization or brachytherapy is still the principal therapeutic options. The present investigation explores the efficacy of a sirolimus-eluting stent to prevent restenosis in these lesions with a high risk of recurrence. In 22 consecutive patients with a recurrent and diffuse ISR, a sirolimus-eluting stent was implanted to cover the restenotic lesion. All patients were followed clinically for at least 1 year and underwent a repeat angiography after 7 months. A quantitative coronary angiographic analysis was done. The target vessel failure was 14% in the sirolimus-eluting stent group, with an angiographic late loss of only 0.39 +/- 0.54. No subacute stent thrombosis was observed, and the 1-year event-free survival was 86%. The three cases with restenosis were all focal and could be successfully treated by additional drug-eluting stent implantation. This study showed the efficacy of a sirolimus-eluting stent for the prevention of restenosis in a worst-case scenario of recurrent and diffuse ISR. The observed restenosis rate is lower than that reported after brachytherapy and suggests that sirolimus-eluting stents are a promising treatment option for ISR.