Drug-Coated Balloons in Coronary Bifurcation Disease: A State-of-the-Art Review

TL;DR

Drug-coated balloons offer a new way to treat complex heart artery issues without permanent implants.

Contribution

This review highlights the emerging role of drug-coated balloons in managing coronary bifurcation disease.

Findings

Drug-coated balloons deliver medication directly to vessel walls, promoting healing.

They simplify procedures and avoid permanent metallic implants in bifurcation treatments.

Abstract

Coronary bifurcation disease remains one of the more challenging lesion subsets to treat with percutaneous coronary intervention due to bifurcation geometry and increased risk of target lesion failure. Whilst a provisional approach is preferred in most bifurcations, two-stent techniques may be required where there is a high risk of side branch compromise or a bailout; however, this further increases procedure complexity. Drug-coated balloons (DCBs) are emerging as a promising alternative that allow vessel healing without leaving behind a permanent metallic implant by delivering antiproliferative medication directly to the vessel wall and simplifying procedures. This state-of-the-art review summarises the current evidence and the evolving role of DCBs in the management of coronary bifurcation lesions with a focus on patient- and lesion-specific factors that might influence the treatment strategy choice.

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