Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) May Reduce Drug-Eluting Stent Thrombosis by a Third

July 8, 2008 -- A provocative study in the current issue of the European Heart Journal concludes that: "IVUS guidance during DES implantation has the potential to influence treatment strategy and reduce both DES thrombosis and the need for repeat revascularization."

The article describes a retrospective observational study of almost 1,800 patients in whom drug-eluting stents had been placed between April 2003 and May 2006 at a single center: the Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC, where IVUS guidance is used in approximately 70% of coronary interventions.

The patient population was split into two groups (IVUS and non-IVUS) of 884 each, using a propensity-score for matching, in order to minimize any confounding impact due to lesion type, patient characteristics, etc.

source: Angioplasty.org