Treatment strategies in interventional cardiology

Abstract

In the treatment of patients with obstructive coronary artery disease, myocardial revascularization remains the most important goal as evidence exists that this treatment strategy, even more than prescription of drugs, effectively improves symptoms and prognosis. Besides the classic approach of coronary bypass surgery (CABG), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is at the operators disposal since 1978, (Gruentzig 1978). With the rapidly evolving technology and expanding indications, PCI first rivaled but now has surpassed CABG as treatment of first choice. The development of PCI has stimulated other innovations such as the introduction of the so-called stent. Dotter and his colleagues were the first to employ the word stent in their description of a technique for the nonsurgical endarterial placement of a tubular coiled wire graft in the peripheral arteries of dogs.