Combining clinical and angiographic variables for estimating risk of target lesion revascularization after drug eluting stent placement

Although several recent studies have challenged traditional expectations regarding the duration of dual antiplatelet therapy, current guidelines recommend at least 6 to 12 months of treatment after implantation of a drug eluting stent, with a shorter course for bare metal stents. Stent selection ideally should involve input from the patient receiving these stents, but multiple studies have suggested that angiographic factors - obtained after the patient has received sedation during the diagnostic catheterization - are important predictors of repeat revascularization. In this analysis from a large registry of patients receiving coronary stents, angiographic characteristics were found to significantly improve risk assessment for target lesion revascularization, when added to clinical variables alone.