STENTING FOR ELASTIC RECOIL DURING CORONARY ANGIOPLASTY OF THE LEFT MAIN CORONARY-ARTERY

Conventional percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) of the left main coronary artery (LMCA) constitutes a therapeutic challenge because it is associated with significant immediate morbidity and mortality and a high restenosis rate.1-4 Special difficulties may arise during PTCA of ostial LMCA lesions including technical problems concerning precise balloon location and the possible appearance of elastic recoil despite the use of adequate-sized balloons.4 We report 3 patients with "unprotected" ostial lesions of the LMCA in whom significant elastic recoil after PTCA was successfully managed with coronary stenting. In each patient the strategy for stent deployment consisted in leaving the proximal edge of the stent slightly protruding into the aortic root. This was successfully accomplished and subsequently confirmed in the 3 cases. © 1992.