The effects of stent postdilatation on angiographic and clinical outcomes in patients with STelevation myocardial infarction

Abstract

Object: This study aimed to evaluate the immediate angiographic effects and long-term clinical outcomes of stent postdilatation (PD) in primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: This single-center, retrospective, observational study included patients who were treated with primary PCI between January 2008 and March 2013. The patients were divided into two groups: 1) those who did not undergo PD after stent implantation (Group 1) and 2) those who underwent PD (Group 2).Results: 218 patients were included (Group 1= 57, Group 2 =161). The demographics, risk factors, clinical presentation, procedural factors, and MACE including target lesion revascularization, target vessel failure, and cardiac death during hospitalization or follow-up rates during hospitalization and follow-up did not differ between Groups 1 and 2, with the following exceptions. The rates of predilatation (75.4% vs. 94.4%; p<0.001) and intracoronary nitroglycerine utilization (50.9% vs. 71.4%; p<0.05) were higher in Group 2. The mean final Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction coronary flow was better in Group 1 (2.89 ± 0.31 vs. 2.61 ± 0.66; p<0.05). Conclusion: Although PD negatively affects the final TIMI flow grade, it does not appear to have any detrimental effects on long-term clinical outcomes, in primary PCI.