Despite these improvement, acute closure and restenosis remain as serious limitations to both the short and long-term success of PTCA. Coronary artery stents have been proposed as a method of treating acute closure and preventing restenosis.

We implanted 21 balloon expandable Palmaz-Schatz Stent in selected 21 Patients(mean age 62±8 years, M/F : 16/5) with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. The indications were elective stenting in 17, acute dissection postangioplasty in 2 and restenosis following angioplasty in 2. The clinical diagnosis of the subjects was unstable angina in 12 pts(57%), stable angina in 1, and post infarction angina in 8 including 6 acute myocardial infarction. The target vessel was right coronary artery In 12(57%), left anterior descending artery in 6(29%) and left circumflex in 3(14%). The size of implanted stent was 3mm in 15, 3.5mm in 5 and 4.0mm in 1. The morphology of attempted lesion was AHA/ACC classification type A in 1, type B in 17(B1 ; 1, B2 ; 16) and type C in 3. Angiographic findings were 1-vessel disease in 16 patients, 2-vessel disease in 4 and 3-vessel disease in 1.

Coronary artery stenting wast technically successful in 21 all patients(100%) and complications included subacute total occlusion 1 week after stenting in 1, which was recanalized successfully by repeat PTCA without myocardial infarction, prolonged sinus arrest after stenting due to microembolism in 1 and puncture site bleeding requiring transfusion in 1.

Conclusion : Coronary artery stenting was a safe and effective procedure to obtain adequate coronary blood flow in selected patients but long-term efficacy of primary elective coronary stenting should be evaluated prospectively.