Serial optical coherence tomography assessment of malapposed struts after everolimus-eluting stent implantation. A subanalysis from the HEAL-EES study.

<bold>Background: </bold>Incomplete stent apposition (ISA) is related to stent thrombosis, which is a serious adverse event. We aim to assess the time-course of ISA after 2nd generation everolimus-eluting stent (EES) implantation.<bold>Methods: </bold>In HEAL-EES study, we enrolled 36 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with EES. OCT imaging was performed at baseline and follow-up. Patients were randomized 1:1:1 into 3 groups according to the time in which follow-up was performed: group A (6-month), group B (9-month), and group C (12-month). In this subanalysis, patients who had ISA segments at baseline and/or follow-up OCT were analyzed.<bold>Result: </bold>At baseline, among 41 lesions in 36 patients, 20 lesions in 18 patients had ISA segments and were analyzed. At baseline, there were 3.0% ISA struts in group A (n=8), 2.8% in group B (n=4), and 4.5% in group C (n=8). At follow-up, ISA struts were present in 0.09%, 0.16% and 0.64%; respectively in groups A, B, and C. At follow-up, there was a significant decrease in the frequency of ISA: group A 3.0% vs. 0.09% (p<0.001), group B 2.8% vs. 0.16% (p<0.001), and group C 4.5% vs. 0.64% (p<0.001). In group A, there was one late acquired ISA at follow-up.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>In patients undergoing 2nd generation EES implantation, area of acute ISA assessed by OCT, was almost resolved at 6-month follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]