Aggressive percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) as good as stenting:

Conventional wisdom says stenting may reduce restenosis by scaffolding the coronary artery but new data from the Thoraxcenter in Rotterdam, Holland, suggest that it may simply be a function of larger initial dilation. Dr Patrick Serruys, professor of interventional cardiology and director of the cath lab at the Thoraxcenter, says patients given stent-like PTCA - dilation that reduces stenosis by at least 70% - had similar outcomes to stented patients. However a stent-like result is only achieved in about 35% of PTCA patients compared with 87% of those given stents in the Benestent-I trial (see Clinica No 669/70, p 24). Dr Serruys suggested that trials of provisional stenting should compare results to patients with stent-like PTCA results.