Review: The outcomes of different vessel diameter in patients receiving coronary artery stenting

- The superiority of drug-eluting stents over bare metal stent diminished in large vessels diameter.
- Among the coronary artery diameter of 3.5 mm, the outcome between drug-eluting stents and bare metal stent is controversial.
- The definite cut-off value for large vessel diameter possibly varied under different settings.

Compared to bare metal stent (BMS) implantation, drug-eluting stents (DES) is significantly better in attenuating intimal hyperplasia and reducing the rate of revascularization. However, the requirement of prolonged dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) and the economic cost have been the major disadvantages of DES. Studies have shown that the use of DES in small vessels decrease revascularization rate, but the results in large vessels vary. Previous studies have shown that the extent of late loss is unrelated to vessel diameter, and that late loss is easily accommodated in large vessels, thus resulting in decreased clinical benefit of DES in this setting. No definite cut-off point value of the vessel size has yet been demonstrated. Series studies aimed at evaluating the clinical outcomes of DES versus BMS in large vessels, but their results have been controversial. In this review, we evaluate the latest studies on clinical outcomes for different vessel sizes and clinical conditions. Nonetheless, further large clinical trials are warranted to address the clinical results of newer stents in different size vessels, especially in large vessels.