First case of stenting of a vulnerable plaque in the SECRITT I trial-the dawn of a new era?

BACKGROUND: A 63-year-old man presented with class II anginal symptoms. INVESTIGATIONS: Cardiac catheterization, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) virtual histology, optical coherence tomography and off-line palpography. DIAGNOSIS: The patient was diagnosed as having a culprit lesion in the left circumflex artery and a vulnerable plaque in the left anterior descending artery. MANAGEMENT: The culprit lesion was treated with two overlapping drug-eluting stents. The vulnerable plaque was then treated with a self-expanding stent tailored to shield vulnerable plaques (vProtect Luminal Shield). After dilatation of the stent with a low-pressure balloon, IVUS and optical coherence tomography showed excellent apposition of the stent to the vessel wall, with no signs of tissue prolapse or edge dissections. At the 6-month follow-up appointment, the stent showed complete tissue coverage without signs of in-stent restenosis. CONCLUSIONS: Six months of follow-up has demonstrated that a patient with an IVUS-derived, thin capped fibroatheroma was successfully treated with a stent tailored to shield vulnerable plaques.

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