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Minerva Cardioangiologica 2015 August;63(4):253-74

Copyright © 2015 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

How to define bifurcation lesion complexity and how to successfully perform percutaneous treatment

Grundeken M. J. ¹, Kraak R. P. ¹, De Winter R. J. ¹, Serruys P. W. ², Wykrzykowska J. J. ¹ ✉

¹ Amsterdam Heart Center, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; ² International Centre for Circulatory Health, NHLI, Imperial College London, London, UK

Historically, percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) of bifurcation lesions have been associated with a lower procedural success rate, a higher complication rate, and less favorable clinical outcomes, compared to PCI of non-bifurcation lesions. However, percutaneous treatment of coronary bifurcation lesions have been improved over the past decade due to improvements in stent design and the introduction of specific bifurcation stent techniques. Some even argue that PCI of bifurcation lesions should no longer be considered as being complex. However, recent studies have shown that there are still certain bifurcation lesion subtypes which are at higher risk for adverse cardiac events after PCI. Future efforts, including the development of a dedicated bifurcation device, should be focused on this specific high-risk subgroup, including distal left main bifurcations.