Atherogenesis in Native Coronary Segments and In-Stent Neoatherogenesis Beyond Three Years After First-Generation Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation: Angiographic and Optical Coherence Tomography Study.

OBJECTIVES The mechanisms underlying the development of neoatherosclerosis following stent implantation remain to be further elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between subclinical in-stent neoatherosclerosis (NA) and atherosclerosis progression of native coronary segments in patients with chronic coronary syndrome 3 and 9 years after first-generation drug-eluting stent implantation. METHODS This is a prespecified analysis of the prospective cohort study evaluating long-term neointimal healing in consecutive patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention with sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) or paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES) implantation. Quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) was evaluated in non-stented coronary segments. RESULTS Forty-three patients underwent optical coherence tomography (OCT) and QCA at 3 years and 21 patients at 3 years and 9 years after SES or PES implantation. NA was identified in 44.2% at 3 years and in 66.7% at 9 years after the index procedure. NA at 3 years was more frequently observed in patients with atherosclerosis progression in native coronary segments than without (66.7% vs 15.8%; P<.01). Higher low-density cholesterol level (93 mg/dL vs 77 mg/dL; P=.04), greater maximal neointimal thickness (0.74 mm vs 0.37 mm; P<.001), and presence of peristrut low-intensity areas (57.9% vs 20.8%; P=.01) were more frequent in patients with NA. NA progression (P=.01) along with greater neointimal growth (P<.01) were detected in serial analysis between 3-year and 9-year OCT assessments. CONCLUSIONS OCT-confirmed NA formation after first-generation drug-eluting stent implantation was associated with QCA-defined atherosclerosis progression in non-stented segments between 0 and 3 years. NA and neointimal proliferation continued between 3 and 9 years.