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Aims: With newer drug-eluting stents (DES), PCI has appeared as an acceptable alternative to cardiac surgery in the treatment of unprotected left main (ULM) lesions. Using data from the French Left Main Taxus and the LEft MAin Xience registries, we compared two-year outcomes in consecutive patients from 2003-2008 using everolimus-eluting stents (EES) vs. paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES)., Methods and Results: We performed a matched comparison according to SYNTAX score, distal LM stenosis, provisional side-branch T-stenting and single stent use, focusing on the primary endpoints of target vessel MI (TVMI) and target vessel failure (TVF). After propensity score matching, there were 172 patients in each group. There was no difference in gender (76.5% male), age (69.5 ± 11.3 years), diabetes (26.2% vs. 24.4%, p=0.71), NSTEMI (40.7% vs. 40.7%, p=1), or LVEF <40% (11.0% vs. 6.7%, p=0.22). Patients with distal LM lesions (75.9%) were treated using provisional T-stenting in 91.1%. The side branch was stented in 22% of all patients (p=0.51). Cumulative two-year events showed significant differences in TVMI (9.9% vs. 4.1%, p=0.04) and TVF (16.3% vs. 7.6%, p=0.01) for PES and EES, respectively., Conclusions: ULM stenting with EES is safer and more effective than PES with a reduction in TLF by 53% at two years.

Aims: We sought to assess the efficacy and safety of everolimus-eluting stents for unprotected left main disease., Methods and Results: A total of 173 consecutive patients with de novo significant unprotected left main stenosis received an everolimus-eluting stent in four French centres. Among them, 140 (81 %) had involvement of the distal portion of left main, and 129/140 (92%) were treated with provisional side branch T-stenting, with a side branch stenting rate of 20%. Angiographic success was achieved in all cases. At 12 months, the cumulative rate of major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular events (MACCE) was 26/173 (15%) including death from any cause (N=5, 2.9%), stroke (N=4, 2.3%), Q-wave myocardial infarction (MI) (N=2, 1.2%), non-Q-wave MI (N=6, 3.5%) and any repeat revascularisation (N=16, 9.3%). At one year, the rate of target-lesion revascularisation (TLR) was 5/173 (2.9%), target-vessel revascularisation was 12/173 (7 %) and the rate of definite or probable left main stent thrombosis 1/173 (0.6 %)., Conclusions: Unprotected left main stenting using everolimus-eluting stents and a strategy of provisional side branch T-stenting for distal lesions, is safe and effective in the midterm, with a relatively low rate of events and reintervention at one year.