Coronary artery revascularization is the ultimate target of significant coronary artery disease (CAD). One of the most commonly used interventional methods is percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) by stent implantation. Complications encompass stent thrombosis or in-stent restenosis (ISR), especially due to neoatherosclerosis. This may develop within months and years after stent implantation, whereas atherosclerosis in native arteries appears after decades. It may affect both bare metal and drug eluting stents.
With new generation scanners, coronary computerized tomography angiography (CCTA) can be an extremely helpful imaging tool not only in exclusion of patients who do not need cardiac catheterization, but also in assessment of ISR. Some artifacts such as beam-hardening and blooming distort the images thus limiting diagnostic accuracy. Using new dual-source CT systems, coronary stent lumen can be visualized with high diagnostic accuracy especially in stents with diameters of 3.0 mm or more; thus CCTA may offer an attractive alternative.
AIM OF THE WORK:
The aim of this work was to assess the outcomes of PCI in symptomatic patients with coronary artery disease using CCTA.