Coronary dilatation 10 weeks after paclitaxel-eluting stent implantation. No role of shear stress in lumen enlargement?

Heart Vessels. 2007 Jul;22(4):268-73. doi: 10.1007/s00380-006-0970-9. Epub 2007 Jul 20.

Abstract

We report a patient with coronary dilatation 10 weeks after paclitaxel-eluting stent implantation in the right coronary artery (RCA). Coronary angiography demonstrated a double-locular lumen dilatation in the body of the stented segment of the RCA, and intravascular ultrasound interrogation revealed the corresponding region with evidence of tissue regression behind the stent struts, incomplete stent apposition, and lumen enlargement. After three-dimensionally (3D) reconstructing the RCA, we applied computational fluid dynamics to the 3D RCA model, representing the lumen of the artery at the moment of stent implantation, and investigated the correlation of both neointimal thickness and tissue regression depth with shear stress in the stent. Neointimal thickness was found to be inversely related to shear stress, but there was no significant association of tissue regression depth with shear stress. Post-procedural stent malapposition, thrombus dissolution, and less possibly, a localized hypersensitivity reaction are potential mechanisms for the lumen enlargement in this case.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Angina Pectoris / diagnosis
  • Angina Pectoris / therapy*
  • Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary / instrumentation*
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / administration & dosage
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / adverse effects*
  • Coronary Angiography
  • Coronary Stenosis / diagnosis
  • Coronary Stenosis / therapy*
  • Drug-Eluting Stents / adverse effects*
  • Equipment Failure Analysis*
  • Fibromuscular Dysplasia / diagnosis
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
  • Imaging, Three-Dimensional
  • Middle Aged
  • Paclitaxel / administration & dosage
  • Paclitaxel / adverse effects*
  • Shear Strength*
  • Tunica Intima / pathology
  • Ultrasonography, Interventional
  • Vasodilation / drug effects*

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
  • Paclitaxel