Diabetes mellitus is a significant risk factor for adverse outcome after PTCA, which is associated with an increased late mortality and target lesion revascularization (TLR) rates. The beneficial role of coronary stenting on the clinical and angiographic outcomes of diabetic patients is not clearly defined. The aim of this study was to evaluate the early and mid-term outcomes in diabetic patients undergoing elective stenting of native coronary lesions compared with those in non-diabetic patients.

Between July 1997 and June 1998, coronary stenting was performed on 46 lesions in 38 diabetic patients and 126 lesions in 117 non-diabetic patients. Follow-up angiography at mean day of 189±45 was performed in 58.7% (91 patients) and analysed by quantitative coronary angiography (QCA).

There was a higher incidence of multi-vessel disease in diabetic patients than non-diabetic patients but not statistically significant (71.1% vs 51.3%, p=0.106). There were no differences in major procedural complications and in-hospital events (myocardial infarction, angina and death) in diabetics and non-diabetics. During the follow-up, the incidence of target lesion revascularizton (TLR) and cardiac event free survival did not differ between two groups.

Coronary stenting in diabetics resulted in a low rate of immediate procedural com-plications and early major adverse cardiac event (MACE), similar to non-diabetics. There were no differences in the mid-term clinical and angiographic outcomes in diabetics and non-diabetics.