Preliminary Report of Clinical Outcomes After Single Crossover Bioresorbable Scaffold Implantation Without Routine Side Branch Strut Dilation

Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate clinical outcomes following single crossover bioresorbable scaffold (BRS) implantation without routine side branch (SB) strut dilation. Background: It is unknown whether SB strut dilation is routinely required after single crossover BRS implantation if there is no compromise of the jailed SB. Methods: Among 187 bifurcation lesions treated with Absorb BRS, 115 lesions (101 patients) were treated with single crossover BRS implantation. Strut dilation toward SB was considered only when SB was compromised (SB TIMI flow < 3 or SB ostium > 75%) after main branch (MB) BRS implantation. Clinical outcomes including cardiac death, follow-up myocardial infarction (MI), target lesion revascularization (TLR), target vessel revascularization (TVR), and definite scaffold thrombosis (ST) were investigated. Results: The majority of target lesions were in the left anterior descending artery (73.0%) and the rate of true bifurcation lesions was 42.6%. SB strut dilation was performed in only 20% of lesions (n = 23), and intravascular imaging was used in most cases (90.4%). The rates of TLR per lesion at 1-year was 3.1% in MB, and 0% in SB. In all patients, the cumulative rate of cardiac death was 1.1% at 1-year, follow-up MI 2.2%, TVR 3.5%, and definite ST 1.0%. Conclusion: Clinical outcomes were acceptable in bifurcation lesions treated with single crossover BRS implantation without routine SB strut dilation.