Intravascular ultrasound assessment of neointima distribution and the length of stent that was free of intravascular ultrasound-detectable intimal hyperplasia in paclitaxel-eluting stents.

Using data from the ASian Paclitaxel-Eluting Stent Clinical Trial, a 3-center, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of nonpolymeric paclitaxel-coated stents with a single center, 81-patient intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) substudy, the length of a stent that was free of IVUS-detectable intimal hyperplasia measured 3.2 +/- 4.8 mm in placebo stents, 6.1 +/- 5.6 mm in low-dose stents, and 8.7 +/- 6.1 mm in high-dose stents (p = 0.0029). IVUS percent neointima volume obstruction correlated with the length of this IVUS neointima-free segment (r = 0.785, p <0.0001); angiographic late lumen loss and follow-up diameter stenosis also correlated with the IVUS neointima-free length of the stents (r = 0.670, p <0.0001 and r = 0.679, p <0.0001, respectively.