Aims: The success of drug-coated balloon therapy might be compromised by intraprocedural particulate embolisation of matrix coating, which may cause downstream microvascular obstruction. We aimed to investigate whether drug-coated balloon therapy was associated with an increase in markers of myocardial necrosis compared with drug-eluting stents or plain balloon angioplasty.
Methods and results: In the ISAR-DESIRE-3 trial, patients with limus-eluting stent restenosis were randomised to treatment with a paclitaxel-coated balloon (PCB), paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES) or balloon angioplasty. We included enrolled patients who had pre- and post-intervention high-sensitivity troponin (hs-TnT) levels available. The delta (peak post-procedure minus baseline) troponin was compared between treatment arms. The association between delta troponin tertiles and three-year mortality was also evaluated. Three hundred and forty-three (343) patients were included, comprising patients treated with PCB (n=115), PES (n=112) and balloon angioplasty (n=116). Groups were well matched in terms of baseline characteristics. There was no difference in delta troponin in patients treated with PCB, PES and balloon angioplasty (36±65, 70±183, and 51±124 ng/L, respectively, p=0.16). Three-year mortality was 7.7%, 8.8% and 14.3% for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd tertiles of delta troponin, respectively, p=0.23.
Conclusions: In patients with drug-eluting stent restenosis, there was no difference in subclinical myocardial necrosis among patients treated with PCB, PES, and balloon angioplasty.