EFFECTS OF CORONARY ANGIOPLASTY USING PROGRESSIVE DILATION ON OSTIAL STENOSIS OF THE LEFT ANTERIOR DESCENDING ARTERY

Percutaneous transluminal coronary dilation of left anterior descending (LAD) ostial stenoses has been considered a high-risk procedure, because of its proximity to the left main, and an increased trend toward abrupt closure.1,2 Dilation of ostial lesions in general has not been advocated based on data3 available on right coronary ostial stenoses, which showed an increased rate of acute complications, a low primary success rate and a relatively high restenosis rate. We retrospectively analyzed our experience in 40 consecutive patients undergoing coronary angioplasty of ostial stenosis in the LAD to test the hypothesis that progressive coronary dilation may also enable safer dilation of stenoses at the origin of the LAD (i.e., lesions in which balloon positioning causes left main occlusion). © 1993.