A joint research team has found that stent procedures show sufficiently high efficacy in treating the completely blocked left descending artery of coronary, the Asan Medical Center said.   

The coronary artery is a blood vessel that supplies oxygen and nutrients to the heart, which surrounds the entire heart, divided into two left and right sides. The left coronary artery splits into two blood vessels called the left anterior descending artery and left circumflex artery in the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) opening. 

Professors Lee Seung-Hwan and Lee Pil-hyung of Asan Medical Center, Professor Yoon Yong-hoon of Chungnam National University School of Medicine, and physicians from 13 other cardiology centers participated in the study. 

The joint team analyzed 270 patients who received stent procedures due to a completely blocked LAD opening from February 2004 to August 2018 and found that the stent procedure's success rate could reach 86 percent. 

The study that analyzed stent surgery results was the first conducted in Korea and second in the world. The first analysis conducted in Taiwan reported a success rate of 80 percent.  

When cholesterol or neutral fat permeates and narrows the blood vessel, leading to complete blocking of the organ, called peripheral arterial disease, it becomes difficult to provide enough blood to the two blood vessels. Because of this, ischemia occurs in the wider area of the heart muscle, having a large influence on the patient’s prognosis. 

The stent procedure requires delicate handling of passing the guidewire while performing the surgery. As the blood vessel is divided into a jack rafter shape, the structure needs an advanced technique to place the guidewire, having high-risks of failure during surgery. Besides, the LAD opening has two blood vessels in mesh, making a single millimeter increase the possibility of complications. Some medical experts questioned the safety of stent procedures, AMC said.

The team monitored and analyzed the patients after stent surgery for more than three years, finding that the completed patients had good progress in the long term. 

“We confirmed the efficacy of stent surgery treating the LAD opening. Although there was a five percent chance of unexpected vessel dissection depending on the patient’s condition, it did not affect the success rate,” Professor Lee said. “Even elderly patients or those who do not have other treatment options can receive good results if they consult experienced doctors beforehand.”

The study was published in the latest issue of the Canadian Journal of Cardiology.