Intriguing peri-strut low-intensity area detected by optical coherence tomography after coronary stent deployment.

Background: Although peri-strut low-intensity area (PLIA) is frequently observed on post-stenting optical coherence tomography (OCT) images, the histology associated with PLIA is undocumented.
Methods and Results: The 36 porcine coronary lesions treated with bare-metal (BMS: n=16) or drug-eluting (DES: n=20) stents were assessed by OCT and histology at 28 days. DES showed a significantly higher incidence of PLIA than BMS. Also, +PLIA stents had greater neointima than PLIA stents. Histological analysis revealed the existence of fibrinoid and proteoglycans at the site of PLIA.
Conclusions: PLIA might be represented by the presence of fibrinoid and proteoglycans, and associated with neointimal proliferation after stenting.