"Radio-lucent" and "radio-opaque" coronary stents characterized by multislice computed tomography

Int J Cardiol. 2009 Feb 6;132(1):e8-10. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2007.07.089. Epub 2007 Oct 31.

Abstract

A 71-year-old man was admitted with stable angina pectoris. The coronary lesion in the obtuse marginal branch was successfully treated with a BVS bioabsorbable poly-L-lactic acid everolimus-eluting coronary stent and a Cypher stent. On multislice computed tomography (MSCT) coronary angiography performed after stenting, the in-stent lumen within radio-lucent polymer struts of the BVS stent was clearly depicted. In contrast, the metallic struts of the Cypher stent hampered precise in-stent luminal evaluation due to blooming artifact. Non-metallic coronary stents composed of radio-lucent polymers might have potential advantages compared to metallic stents with respect to non-invasive MSCT imaging.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Comparative Study
  • Letter

MeSH terms

  • Absorbable Implants
  • Aged
  • Angina Pectoris
  • Coronary Angiography*
  • Coronary Stenosis / diagnostic imaging*
  • Coronary Stenosis / therapy*
  • Drug-Eluting Stents
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Stents*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed*