Circumferential stent fracture is extremely uncommon, and in rare cases, it can cause stent thrombosis. Recognizing stent fracture can be difficult on conventional fluoroscopy because of poor stent radiopacity. We found that StentBoost image acquisition yields improved visibility of stent struts, enabling the identification of stent fracture and the precise positioning of new stents over previously stented segments.We report the case of a 50-year-old man who presented with acute myocardial infarction and subacute stent thrombosis a week after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and placement of a bare-metal stent. The new lesion was crossed with a guidewire, but multiple attempts to advance a balloon catheter were unsuccessful. Live StentBoost image acquisition revealed circumferential stent fracture into 2 separate sections, with abnormal angulation between the proximal and distal portions of the stent. With StentBoost guidance, the wire and balloon catheter were both easily manipulated to cross the lesion, and angioplasty and restenting were completed with good results.StentBoost can be a useful adjunctive tool for the cardiac interventionist during complex percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, and it was invaluable in this challenging situation. We discuss stent fracture and the benefits of using StentBoost in such situations.
Keywords: Angioplasty, balloon, coronary/instrumentation; blood vessel prosthesis implantation; coronary restenosis/etiology/radiography; prosthesis failure; radiographic image enhancement/methods; radiographic image interpretation, computer-assisted/methods; stents; ultrasonography, interventional.