Question

What test should be done after 10 years of angioplasty?

Answer 1

The 10-year results of randomized trials comparing percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in patients with single-vessel coronary artery disease (CAD) with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and medical treatment are not available yet. The aim of this evaluation was to compare our 10-year follow-up results after PTCA in patients with single-vessel CAD with the 10-year follow-up results after CABG and medical treatment in the Coronary Artery Surgery Study (CASS) trial. We evaluated the clinical outcome of 509 patients with single-vessel CAD 10 years after coronary angioplasty. The data were compared with the results of 214 patients with single-vessel CAD after CABG or medical treatment from the CASS trial. End points were defined as death and myocardial infarction. Statistical evaluation was performed by life-table analysis and 2-sided Fisher's exact test. The rate of survival was 86% 10 years after PTCA compared with 85% after CABG and 82% after medical treatment in patients from the CASS trial (p = NS). Survival free from myocardial infarction was 77% after coronary angioplasty, 70% after CABG, and 72% after medical treatment (p = NS). Thus, in patients with single-vessel CAD, infarct-free survival 10 years after coronary angioplasty compared favorably with the results after bypass surgery or medical treatment from the CASS trial.