Revascularization of unprotected left main coronary artery disease with percutaneous coronary intervention: The role of drug-eluting stents

The percutaneous revascularization of left main coronary artery stenosis has until recently been reserved for patients at prohibitive surgical risk or for selected emergent cases. This adopt ed practice of coronary artery bypass grafting, as the standard of care for left main coronary artery stenosis, has largely occurred secondary to disappointing results with bare metal stents implanted in the left main coronary artery. However, in the current era of drug-eluting stents (DES) which significantly reduce resteno sis compared to bare metal stents, there has been a renewed interest in examining the role of percutaneous coronary intervention as a means of revascularization of left main disease. This article discusses recent and ongoing stud ies investigating the role of percutaneous inter vention of left main disease, with an emphasis on the use of DES for this purpose.