Prospective Evaluation for Stent Fracture in PCI

Stent fracture is a common and clinically relevant complication in percutaneous coronary interventions.1 Untreated stent fractures (Types 3 and 4) are associated with poor cardiac outcome. For this reason, detecting stent fractures at the earliest possible opportunity following stent implementation is extremely important.1

Case Report

In this case, a 72-year-old female patient was referred for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Procedural assessment using fast temporal resolution computed tomography (66 ms, SOMATOM Force, Siemens Healthineers) revealed a high-grade stenosis in the mid right coronary artery (RCA) with severe calcifications. The patient underwent a successful percutaneous coronary intervention with initial rotablation. The ARTIS icono floor angiography system (Siemens Healthineers) OPTIQ imaging chain enabled consistent image quality regardless of angulation, with automated adaption of imaging parameters to maintain “as low as reasonably achievable” (ALARA) dose levels. The ClearStent feature showed full stent expansion with no indication of stent fracture. The final angiographic control demonstrated a good result without residual stenosis.*