Long-term outcomes of drug-eluting balloons for treatment of side branches in patients with true coronary bifurcation lesions

Background: Bifurcation treatments make up ca. 15–20% of coronary interventions. Despite the use of drug-eluting stents, the management of bifurcation lesions, especially with side branches involved, remains a challenge. Objective: To evaluate long-term clinical and angiographic outcomes after using a paclitaxel-coated balloon for the treatment of side branches in patients with true bifurcation lesions. Methods: Eighty patients with coronary artery disease were enrolled after true bifurcation lesion stenting. All patients were randomized at the 1:1 ratio to the group of main branches stenting followed by the dilatation of side branches with drug-eluting balloons and provisional stenting group. Results: Long-term results were analyzed after 12 months. The most common bifurcation lesion involved the left anterior descending artery and diagonal branch (57.5%). Late lumen loss in the side branch (0.51 ± 0.22 vs 0.33 ± 0.24 mm) and in both the bifurcation branches (main branch + side branch) (1.06 ± 0.29 vs 0.79 ± 0.27 mm) was significantly higher in the patients after provisional stenting. Overall postoperative incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events was 17.5% and 7.5% (p = 0.31) in the provisional stenting and drug coated balloon groups, respectively. Patients with drug-eluting balloons for the treatment of side branches had a more pronounced decrease in angina symptoms after 12 months. Multivariate analysis showed that diabetes mellitus (OR: 10.9) and glomerular filtration rate (OR: 0.95) were independent predictors of major adverse cardiovascular events in bifurcation interventions. Conclusion: Drug-eluting balloons for the dilatation of side branches after the stenting of main branches are superior to provisional stenting in terms of the late lumen loss.