Rationale and objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of oral administration of cilostazol, an antithrombotic agent, for the prevention of thrombotic occlusion and intimal hyperplasia after stenting.
Methods: Single-bodied Z-stents were placed in the iliac arteries of 23 dogs. Before stenting, an embolizing coil was introduced into the right femoral artery to reduce blood flow in the right iliac artery. Eleven dogs were given cilostazol orally, and the other 12 were unmedicated as a control group. The dogs were killed at 4, 13, and 24 weeks.
Results: Intraluminal narrowing due to thrombus was observed in 25% of dogs in the control group but in none of the dogs in the cilostazol group. The thickness of the neointima was significantly thinner in the cilostazol group than in the control group at 24 weeks on the noncoiled side (P < 0.05), and at 4 and 24 weeks on the coiled side (P < 0.01).
Conclusions: These results suggest that oral administration of cilostazol is an effective method of preventing thrombotic occlusion and intimal hyperplasia after stenting.