Optical coherence tomographic and angioscopic assessments of arterial healing in coronary artery perforation after implantation of zotarolimus-eluting stent

Abstract

We report the case of a 69-year-old male whose left circumflex coronary artery was perforated immediately after implantation of an Endeavor zotarolimus-eluting stent (E-ZES). Despite successful hemostasis by long balloon inflation, a coronary pseudoaneurysm remained at the E-ZES-implanted segment. Coronary angiography performed one year after the coronary perforation showed the pseudoaneurysm had disappeared. Simultaneous optical coherence tomography and coronary angioscopy revealed that stent struts of the E-ZES were fully covered with thick neointima. This is the first case report of a relatively rapid healing process for an E-ZES-related coronary pseudoaneurysm.