» Articles » PMID: 39131458

Small Vessel Coronary Artery Disease: Rationale for Standardized Definition and Critical Appraisal of the Literature

Abstract

Small vessel coronary artery disease (CAD) is present in 30% to 67% of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention according to different series, representing an unmet clinical need in light of an increased risk of technical failure, restenosis, and need for repeated revascularization. The definition of small vessel is inconsistent across trials, and no definite cutoff value has yet been determined. The lack of consensus on the definition of small vessel CAD has contributed to the high degree of heterogeneity in the safety and efficacy of the various revascularization options. Therefore, the aim of this article is to provide a critical appraisal of existing reports and to propose a reference vessel diameter of <2.5 ​mm definition of small vessel CAD to guide future clinical trials and clinical decision-making.

Citing Articles

Comparative efficacy and safety of drug-coated balloons versus drug-eluting stents in small vessel coronary artery disease: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Augustine M, Arain M, Mustafa M, Moradi I, Fredericks M, Rahman A Egypt Heart J. 2025; 77(1):26.

PMID: 40009140 PMC: 11865403. DOI: 10.1186/s43044-025-00621-7.


Ultrathin-strut versus thin-strut stent healing and outcomes in preclinical and clinical subjects.

Ikegami R, Piao Z, Iglesias J, Pilgrim T, Ha K, McCarthy J EuroIntervention. 2024; 20(10):e669-e680.

PMID: 38776143 PMC: 11100507. DOI: 10.4244/EIJ-D-23-00563.


Culprit Lesion Vessel Size and Risk of Reperfusion Injury in ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction: A Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

Lechner I, Reindl M, Tiller C, Holzknecht M, Oberhollenzer F, Mayr A J Am Heart Assoc. 2024; 13(3):e033102.

PMID: 38293938 PMC: 11056128. DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.123.033102.


Drug-coated balloon: an effective alternative to stent strategy in small-vessel coronary artery disease-a meta-analysis.

Felbel D, Bozic F, Mayer B, Krohn-Grimberghe M, Paukovitsch M, dAlmeida S Front Cardiovasc Med. 2023; 10:1213992.

PMID: 37671137 PMC: 10475729. DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2023.1213992.


Long-term outcomes after stent implantation in very small vessel coronary artery disease.

Liu E, Yang T, Tai T, Chiang C, Cheng C, Huang W Clin Cardiol. 2023; 46(4):431-440.

PMID: 36824027 PMC: 10106663. DOI: 10.1002/clc.24000.


References
1.
Zaman A, de Winter R, Kogame N, Chang C, Modolo R, Spitzer E . Safety and efficacy of a sirolimus-eluting coronary stent with ultra-thin strut for treatment of atherosclerotic lesions (TALENT): a prospective multicentre randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2019; 393(10175):987-997. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32467-X. View

2.
Akiyama T, Moussa I, Reimers B, Ferraro M, Kobayashi Y, Blengino S . Angiographic and clinical outcome following coronary stenting of small vessels: a comparison with coronary stenting of large vessels. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1998; 32(6):1610-8. DOI: 10.1016/s0735-1097(98)00444-6. View

3.
Stefanini G, Alfonso F, Barbato E, Byrne R, Capodanno D, Colleran R . Management of myocardial revascularisation failure: an expert consensus document of the EAPCI. EuroIntervention. 2020; 16(11):e875-e890. DOI: 10.4244/EIJ-D-20-00487. View

4.
Vural K, Sener E, Tasdemir O . Long-term patency of sequential and individual saphenous vein coronary bypass grafts. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2001; 19(2):140-4. DOI: 10.1016/s1010-7940(00)00629-1. View

5.
Shah P, Gordon I, Fuller J, Seevanayagam S, Rosalion A, Tatoulis J . Factors affecting saphenous vein graft patency: clinical and angiographic study in 1402 symptomatic patients operated on between 1977 and 1999. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2003; 126(6):1972-7. DOI: 10.1016/s0022-5223(03)01276-5. View