Outcomes after drug-coated balloon treatment for patients with calcified coronary lesions

Comprehensive clinical outcomes of drug-coated balloon treatment for coronary artery disease. Insights from a single-center experience

BACKGROUND

Some clinical trials have verified the efficacy and safety of paclitaxel drug-coated balloon (DCB) for small vessel coronary artery disease. However, nonsmall vessel and calcified lesions received less attention.

AIMS

This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of DCB treatment for various types of coronary artery lesions, including not only small vessel disease but also nonsmall vessel disease and calcified lesions. In this real-world clinical practice study, in-stent restenosis was excluded.

METHODS

This study consecutively included 934 patients with 1751 nonstented lesions who received DCB at a cardiovascular center in Kyoto Katsura Hospital in Japan between 2009 and 2012 and 2014 to 2019. This study enrolled and retrospectively analyzed all of the patients. Eligible patients routinely underwent follow-up angiography at 6-8 months after percutaneous coronary intervention. The primary endpoint includes target lesion revascularization (TLR) during follow-up. Further, this study calculated the predictor of TLR using multivariate analysis.

RESULTS

This study included the lesions involving 46.4% of type B2/C, 26.9% with severe calcification, and 6.0% with DCB restenosis. Mean DCB diameter and length were 2.75 ± 0.51 mm and 24.2 ± 9.6 mm, respectively. The median follow-up duration was 18 months. Follow-up angiography revealed a TLR rate of 9% and a restenosis rate of 9%. This study identified hemodialysis and current smoking as independent TLR predictors.

CONCLUSION

In routine clinical practice, the effectiveness of DCB was observed consistently across various types of coronary artery disease.

Evaluation of long-term outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with moderate to severe calcified coronary artery lesions

Background and Aims

Coronary artery calcification reduces elasticity and can cause hemodynamic disturbances, increasing the risk of cardiovascular complications. Furthermore, coronary calcifications make cardiovascular interventions difficult. The present study aimed to study the cardiovascular outcomes of the coronary intervention of calcified lesions in the Iranian population.

Methods

The present cross-sectional study evaluated patients with moderate to severe calcified coronary artery lesions on angiography who were candidates for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Demographic, echocardiographic, and angiographic data of the patients were recorded. In addition, clinical outcomes, including mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, and stent thrombosis, were also measured 1 year after the procedure.

Results

A total of 125 participants (65% male and 35% female) with a median age of 69 (13.0) years old were enrolled. The most common calcification degree was 270° (43.5%), followed by 360° (35.5%) and 180° (21.0%). Most patients had thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) score of 3 (47.6%). A more than 10% residual coronary minimum lumen diameter was seen in 25.8% of patients. Puncture site hemorrhage and contrast-induced nephropathy were observed in 2 (1.6%) and 1 (0.8%) patients, respectively. Following 1 year after PCI, no cases of mortality, cerebrovascular accident, myocardial infarction, and stent thrombosis were reported. Furthermore, we observed one case of heart failure (0.8%) and target lesion revascularization (0.8%). In addition, we revealed a significant relationship between calcification degree and TIMI (p < 0.001) and body mass index (p = 0.049).

Conclusion

Percutaneous management of calcified lesions with noncompliant balloon and one or two guidewires was associated with a good success rate and few complications.

Long-term outcomes of drug-coated balloon treatment of calcified coronary artery lesions: a multicenter, retrospective, propensity matching study

Background

Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is associated with high rates of restenosis and adverse clinical events after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES).

Objectives

The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term clinical outcomes of drug-coated balloon (DCB)-only treatment for de novo lesions with and without CAC.

Methods

Patients with de novo coronary disease treated with the DCB-only strategy were retrospectively enrolled from three centers and categorized into a CAC group and a non-CAC group. The primary endpoint was the target lesion failure (TLF) rate during the 3-year follow-up. Secondary endpoints included the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), target lesion revascularization (TLR), cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI) and any revascularization. Propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted to assemble a cohort of patients with similar baseline characteristics.

Results

A total of 1,263 patients with 1,392 lesions were included, and 243 patients were included in each group after PSM. Compared with the non-CAC group, the incidence rates of TLF (9.52% vs. 4.94%, odds ratio [OR]: 2.080; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.083-3.998, P = 0.034) and TLR (7.41% vs. 2.88%, OR: 2.642; 95% CI: 1.206-5.787, P = 0.020) in the CAC group were higher. The incidence rates of MACE (12.35% vs. 7.82%, OR: 1.665; 95% CI: 0.951-2.916, P = 0.079), cardiac death (2.06% vs. 2.06%, OR: 0.995; 95% CI: 0.288-3.436, P = 0.993), MI (1.23% vs. 0.82%, OR: 2.505; 95% CI: 0.261-8.689, P = 0.652) and any revascularization (12.76% vs. 9.67%, OR: 1.256; 95% CI: 0.747-2.111, P = 0.738) were similar between groups.

Conclusions

CAC increased the incidence of TLF and TLR without a substantial increase in the risk of MACE, cardiac death, MI, or any revascularization in patients treated with DCB-only angioplasty during the 3-year follow-up.

Sustained Lumen Area by Paclitaxel-Coated Balloon Following Rotational Atherectomy for Napkin-Ring Left Main Trunk Ostial Lesion

Late lumen enlargement after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-coated balloon has contributed to good clinical results. However, late lumen enlargement with drug-coated balloon following rotational atherectomy has not been well reported. This report describes a case of calcified napkin-ring ostial lesion at the left main trunk that showed a sustained lumen area after PCI with drug-coated balloon following rotational atherectomy. An 85-year-old female patient was admitted to the hospital with dyspnea. Echocardiography showed hypokinesis in the anteroseptal and inferior walls. Electrocardiograph-gated cardiac computed tomography showed a calcified ostial lesion in the left main trunk. Invasive angiography of the coronary artery showed severe stenosis in the left main trunk ostium. Percutaneous coronary intervention was performed with a drug-coated balloon after rotational atherectomy. The minimal lumen area measured by intravascular ultrasound grew mildly from 4.09 to 4.17 mm2 immediately after PCI. Follow-up angiography and intravascular ultrasound performed after 6 months showed that the minimal lumen area in the left main trunk ostium was further enlarged from 4.17 to 4.69 mm2. The presence of sustained lumen area after PCI with drug-coated balloon following rotational atherectomy for a napkin-ring left main trunk ostial lesion was confirmed. This case demonstrates sustained lumen area after drug-coated balloon following rotational atherectomy in the left main trunk ostium, improving the patient's chest symptom. Hence, drug-coated balloon after rotational atherectomy may be an option for complex stent sites, such as the left main trunk ostium in geriatric patients and sites with highly calcified lesions.

Clinical research of drug-coated balloon after rotational atherectomy for severe coronary artery calcification

BACKGROUND

Current research results show that drug-coated balloons (DCB) have unique advantages in the treatment of in-stent restenosis, small vessel disease, bifurcation lesions, and de novo lesions, but the data regarding rotational atherectomy (RA) followed by DCB treatment in calcified lesions, especially severe coronary artery calcification (CAC), are limited.

METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted on 318 individuals with severe CAC who underwent RA-assisted PCI at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from May 2018 to July 2021. Among them, 57 patients (RA/DCB group) were treated with DCB, and 261 patients (RA/DES group) were treated with drug-eluting stents (DES). The two groups' clinical baseline data, lesion characteristics, intraoperative complications, in-hospital adverse events, and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) were compared throughout the follow-up period.

RESULTS

The baseline clinical data, intraoperative complications, and in-hospital adverse events were not significantly different between the two groups. The anatomical categories in the RA/DES group were more complex and included left main coronary disease, bifurcation disease, and multivessel disease. Although target lesion revascularization (13.79% vs. 7.02%) and MACCE (18.77% vs. 12.28%) occurred more frequently in the RA/DES group than in the RA/DCB group, there was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that bifurcation lesions (HR 2.284, 95% CI 1.063-4.908, p = 0.034), total length of DCB/DES (HR 1.023, 95% CI 1.005-1.047, p = 0.014) and SYNTAX score (HR 1.047, 95% CI 1.013-1.082, p = 0.006) were independent risk factors for MACCE during the follow-up period.

CONCLUSION

Drug-coated balloon treatment after rotational atherectomy appears safe and effective in selected severe coronary artery calcification.

Outcomes after drug-coated balloon interventions for de novo coronary lesions in the patients on chronic hemodialysis

The impact of drug-coated balloon (DCB) on hemodialysis (HD) patients with coronary lesions remains unclear. This study aimed to compare outcomes after DCB treatment between HD and non-HD patients with de novo coronary lesions. A total of 235 consecutive patients who electively underwent DCB treatment for de novo coronary lesions were included (HD group: n = 100; non-HD group: n = 135). Angiographic follow-up was performed 6 months after the procedure. Patients were clinically followed up for 2 years. The incidence rates of target lesion revascularization (TLR) and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were investigated. Diabetes and a history of coronary bypass grafting were more frequent in the HD group than in the non-HD group (69.0% vs. 50.7%, p = 0.007, and 24.0% vs 9.1%, p = 0.013, respectively). The reference diameter and pre-procedural diameter stenosis were greater in the HD group than in the non-HD group (2.49 mm vs. 2.24 mm, p = 0.007, and 65.9% vs. 59.6%, p = 0.015, respectively). Calcification was observed in 65.5% of all lesions, and rotational atherectomy was performed in 30.2% patients. The average diameter of the DCB was 2.51 mm (2.57 mm, HD group vs. 2.47 mm, non-HD group, p = 0.14). Although post-procedural diameter stenosis was similar between the groups, late lumen loss on follow-up angiography was larger in HD patients than in non-HD patients (0.27 mm vs. - 0.03 mm, p = 0.0009). The 2-year rates of freedom from TLR and MACE were lower in HD patients than in non-HD patients [79.3% vs. 91.7%, hazard ratio (HR) 2.76, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.23-6.77, p = 0.014; and 61.6% vs. 89.4%, HR 4.60, 95% CI 2.30-10.2, p < 0.001, respectively]. In conclusion, the rates of TLR and MACE after DCB treatment were higher in HD patients than in non-HD patients.

Stentless Interventional Procedure Using Rotational Atherectomy and Drug-Coated Balloon for Noncalcified De Novo Lesions

Background

Several recent reports have shown that a stentless interventional procedure using rotational atherectomy followed by drug-coated balloon (DCB) treatment (RA/DCB) is a potent revascularization therapy for calcified de novo lesions even in the new-generation drug-eluting stent era; however, the role of the RA/DCB procedure for noncalcified de novo lesions remains unclear.

Methods

A total of 47 consecutive patients (53 lesions) who underwent RA/DCB for coronary de novo lesions were enrolled. According to the presence or absence of severe calcification at target lesions on fluoroscopy, the 47 patients were divided into the noncalcified cases (n = 12) and the calcified cases (n = 35), and the 53 lesions were divided into the noncalcified lesions (n = 14) and the calcified lesions (n = 39).

Results

The noncalcified cases tended to have a higher frequency of bleeding risk and had a significantly lower prevalence of dual antiplatelet therapy compared with the calcified cases. The main lesion-specific factors for the RA/DCB procedure among the noncalcified lesions were presence of left circumflex coronary artery ostial lesion. The final burr size, DCB diameter used, and angiographic success rate did not significantly differ between the 2 groups. The noncalcified lesions had a larger reference diameter and a shorter lesion length than the calcified lesions, whereas acute gain and late lumen loss did not differ between the 2 groups. Nine-month clinical outcomes were comparable between the 2 groups.

Conclusions

Under drug-eluting stent-unsuitable clinical or lesion conditions, acute and midterm outcomes of RA/DCB for noncalcified de novo lesions might be comparable with those for calcified de novo lesions.

Comparison of drug-eluting stents vs. drug-coated balloon after rotational atherectomy for severely calcified lesions of nonsmall vessels

Calcified lesion is a risk factor for adverse events, even in the drug-eluting stent (DES) era. Recently, drug-coated balloon (DCB) has been shown to have favourable results for in-stent restenosis and small vessels, but its results for calcified lesions are unknown. This study aimed to clarify the rotational atherectomy (RA) and DCB results for calcified lesions of nonsmall vessels. A total of 194 consecutive de novo lesions from 165 cases underwent RA for calcified lesions of nonsmall vessels between January 2016 and August 2018 in a single centre. Overall, 8 cases/10 lesions were excluded because of RA followed plain old balloon angioplasty (POBA). Remaining lesions were grouped into the DES (88 cases/104 lesions) and DCB (69 cases/80 lesions) groups and then compared retrospectively. The primary endpoint was post-discharge major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) at 1 year, and it was defined as cardiac death, noncardiac death, target-vessel-related myocardial infarction, target lesion revascularization (TLR), and major bleeding (BARC ≥ type 3). There was no difference in the clinical follow-up rate between RA + DES (96/104 lesions) and RA + DCB (78/80 lesions). The post-discharge MACE values after 1 year of RA + DES and RA + DCB were 8% and 11% (P = 0.30), respectively, in terms of cardiac death (0% vs. 0%, respectively), noncardiac death (4% vs. 3%, respectively, P = 0.36), target-vessel-related myocardial infarction (0% vs. 0%, respectively), TLR (4% vs. 8%, respectively, P = 0.30), and major bleeding (1% vs. 0%, respectively). For calcified lesions of nonsmall vessels, RA + DCB showed good results as well as RA + DES. RA + DCB is a potential new strategy for these lesions.

Drug-coated balloon treatment in coronary artery disease: Recommendations from an Asia-Pacific Consensus Group

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is currently the leading cause of death globally, and the prevalence of this disease is growing more rapidly in the Asia-Pacific region than in Western countries. Although the use of metal coronary stents has rapidly increased thanks to the advancement of safety and efficacy of newer generation drug eluting stent (DES), patients are still negatively affected by some the inherent limitations of this type of treatment, such as stent thrombosis or restenosis, including neoatherosclerosis, and the obligatory use of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with unknown optimal duration. Drug-coated balloon (DCB) treatment is based on a leave-nothing-behind concept and therefore it is not limited by stent thrombosis and long-term DAPT; it directly delivers an anti-proliferative drug which is coated on a balloon after improving coronary blood flow. At present, DCB treatment is recommended as the first-line treatment option in metal stent-related restenosis linked to DES and bare metal stent. For de novo coronary lesions, the application of DCB treatment is extended further, for conditions such as small vessel disease, bifurcation lesions, and chronic total occlusion lesions, and others. Recently, several reports have suggested that fractional flow reserve guided DCB application was safe for larger coronary artery lesions and showed good long-term outcomes. Therefore, the aim of these recommendations of the consensus group was to provide adequate guidelines for patients with CAD based on objective evidence, and to extend the application of DCB to a wider variety of coronary diseases and guide their most effective and correct use in actual clinical practice.

Short-Term and Long-Term Efficacy of Drug-Coated Balloon for In-Stent Restenosis in Hemodialysis Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

The efficacy of drug-coated balloons (DCB) for in-stent restenosis (ISR) in hemodialysis (HD) patients remains unclear.We retrospectively evaluated 153 consecutive patients who underwent DCB for ISR with follow-ups for up to 3 years after the procedure between February 2014 and June 2017. Patients were divided into an HD group (n = 39) and a non-HD group (n = 114). The primary endpoint was target lesion revascularization (TLR). The secondary endpoints were all revascularizations and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) defined as cardiac death, myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction. Kaplan-Meier curves of survival free from TLR were compared between the two groups. We also performed propensity score matching and then compared the two matched groups (n = 27 in each group). The acute procedure success rate was similar for the two groups (100% versus 99.1%, P = 0.56). The incidence of TLR was higher in the HD group than in the non-HD group (41.0% versus 9.6%, P < 0.0001). The rate of revascularizations and MACE combined was significantly higher in the HD group than in the non-HD group (64.1% versus 17.5%, P < 0.0001). Kaplan-Meier analyses showed that survival free from TLR was significantly lower in the HD group than in the non-HD group both before and after propensity score matching (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.005, respectively; log-rank test).Contrary to the similar acute procedure success, recurrent ISR and MACE occurred more frequently in HD patients than in non-HD patients after DCB, which indicates poorer long-term efficacy of DCB in HD patients.

Acute and mid-term outcomes of drug-coated balloon following rotational atherectomy

Rotational atherectomy (RA) is effective for reducing calcified plaque volume as part of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Most lesions are then treated by stenting, but we often observe in-stent restenosis (ISR) due to an under-expanded stent associated with severe calcification, a condition that is particularly challenging to treat. It is unknown if drug-coated balloon (DCB) application following RA can be used as a "stentless" treatment strategy for calcified lesions. The aim of this study is to assess the acute and mid-term efficacy of DCB following RA (RA + DCB) at our institute and to evaluate the overall clinical utility of this stentless strategy for complex calcified lesions. From October 2014 to June 2018, 3644 lesions in 2424 consecutive cases were treated with PCI at our institute. Rotational atherectomy was used for 12.3% of all lesions and 42.3% of these RA-treated lesions were then treated using DCBs (n = 190 RA + DCB-treated lesions, of which 72% were in males). In-hospital major adverse cardiac events included only one case of non-Q-wave myocardial infarction. Average duration of follow-up coronary angiography after initial PCI was 199 ± 61 days. Angiographic restenosis was observed in 17.8% of RA + DCB-treated lesions, with mean late lumen loss of 0.23 ± 0.69 mm, while late lumen enlargement was observed in 39.1% of RA + DCB-treated lesions. At mid-term clinical follow-up, there were no cardiac deaths and target lesion revascularization rate was only 16.4%. Rotational atherectomy followed by DCB demonstrated acceptable acute and mid-term efficacy, suggesting that this stentless strategy may be an effective option for complex calcified lesions with high risk of ISR.

Safety and Long-Term Efficacy of Drug-Coated Balloon Angioplasty following Rotational Atherectomy for Severely Calcified Coronary Lesions Compared with New Generation Drug-Eluting Stents

Objectives

This study sought to assess the safety and long-term efficacy of drug-coated balloons (DCB) following aggressive intracoronary image-guided rotational atherectomy (iRA) for severe coronary artery calcification (CAC), and to compare this strategy with new generation drug-eluting stents (nDES) following iRA.

Background

Ischemic events following the treatment of CAC is still relatively high. Thus, more innovative strategies are required.

Methods

We evaluated 123 consecutive patients (166 lesions) with de novo CAC undergoing an iRA (burr size; 0.7 of the mean reference diameter by intracoronary imaging) followed by DCB (DCB-iRA; 54 patients, 68 lesions) or nDES (nDES-iRA; 69 patients, 98 lesions). Follow-up angiography was obtained at > 6 months.

Results

The target vessels (right coronary and circumflex), bifurcation (67.6% versus 47.9%), reference diameter (2.28mm versus 2.49mm), and lesion length (11.89mm versus 18.78mm) were significantly different between the two groups. The median follow-up was 732 days. TLR and TVR in DCB-iRA and nDES-iRA at 3 years were similar: 15.6% versus 16.3% (P=0.99) and 15.6% versus 23.3% (P=0.38). In 41 well-matched lesion pairs after propensity score analysis, the cumulative incidence of TLR and TVR in DCB-iRA and nDES-iRA at 3 years was 12.9% versus 16.3% (P=0.70) and 12.9% versus 26.1% (P=0.17), respectively. On QCA analysis, although the acute gain was smaller in DCB-iRA (0.85 mm versus 1.53 mm, P<0.001), the minimum lumen diameter at follow-up was similar (1.69 mm versus 1.87 mm, P=0.29). The late lumen loss was lower (0.09 mm versus 0.52 mm, P=0.009) in DCB-iRA.

Conclusions

DCB-iRA is feasible for CAC.

Drug-Coated Balloon-Only Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for the Treatment of De Novo Coronary Artery Disease: A Systematic Review

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with a drug coated balloon (DCB) is a novel treatment which seeks to acutely dilate a coronary stenosis and deliver an anti-proliferative drug to the vessel wall (reducing the risk of re-stenosis), without implanting a drug eluting stent (DES). In this study, we performed a systematic review of stentless DCB-only angioplasty in de novo coronary artery disease. We identified 41 studies examining the effects of DCB-only PCI in a variety of clinical scenarios including small vessels, bifurcations, calcified lesions, and primary PCI. DCB-only PCI appears to be associated with comparable clinical outcomes to DESs and superior angiographic outcomes to plain-old balloon angioplasty. Although current data are promising, there is still a need for further long-term randomized control trial data comparing a DCB-only approach specifically against a second- or third-generation DES. A 4-week period of dual antiplatelet therapy provides a real advantage for the DCB-only PCI approach, which is not possible with most DESs. Since rates of adverse clinical outcomes are very low for all PCI procedures attention should be turned to the development of robust endpoints with which to compare DCB-only PCI approaches to the standard treatment with a DES.