The influence of strut thickness and cell design on immediate apposition of drug-eluting stents assessed by optical coherence tomography

Abstract

Background: Stent strut malapposition correlates with poor intimal coverage and this may increase the risk of late stent thrombosis. At present, there is limited data on whether stent strut thickness and stent design impact on acute apposition. We aimed to investigate the influence of stent strut thickness and design on acute stent strut apposition (SSA) immediately following drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation using optical coherence tomography (OCT), a technique with higher resolution and fewer artefacts than intravascular ultrasound. Methods: Thirty-six DES in 23 patients (25 lesions) were studied by OCT. SSA was defined as embedded when a strut was buried in the intima for more than ha..