Comparison of Clinical and Angiographic Outcomes After Saphenous Vein Graft Angioplasty Using Coronary Versus ‘Biliary’ Tubular Slotted Stents

Abstract

Despite frequent short-term ischemic syndromes and unfavorable lesion characteristics, both biliary and coronary cohorts have similarly favorable short-term procedural results and long-term clinical outcomes. The increased strut thickness of the biliary stent confers greater fluoroscopic visibility and radial compressive strength in exchange for decreased stent flexibility and added technical demand in stent deployment. Extreme caution is recommended with biliary stent placement in the treatment of SVG lesions as clinical results are highly operator dependent.