• A L Calver, L J Blows, S Harmer, K D Dawkins, H H Gray, J H Morgan, and I A Simpson.
• Wessex Cardiothoracic Unit, Southampton University Hospital, Southampton, UK.
• Am. Heart J. 2000 Sep 1;140(3):483-91.

ObjectivesWe developed this study to assess the procedural outcome, complications, and clinical follow-up in patients treated with different antiplatelet regimens after intracoronary stent implantation with small stents. Three hundred sixty-one consecutive patients, in whom at least one 3.0-mm intracoronary stent was implanted, were studied.MethodsThe study was a prospective, observational registry of unselected consecutive patients treated in our institution. Patients who underwent stent implantation between December 1997 and July 1998 were treated with aspirin and ticlopidine; those who received stents between August 1998 and February 1999 were treated with aspirin and clopidogrel.ResultsIn the group treated with ticlopidine, there were 190 patients who had 253 lesions treated with 274 stents. Mean age was 59.1 years, 72% were male, 31% had unstable angina, 64% had 1 stent, 36% had >1 stent, and 23% had multivessel intervention. In the group treated with clopidogrel, there were 171 patients who had 226 lesions treated with 245 stents. Mean age was 60.4 years, 79% were male, 26% had unstable angina, 70% had 1 stent, 30% had >1 stent, and 26% had multivessel intervention. Complications at 30 days in the ticlopidine group were death in 1 (0.5%), stent occlusion in 3 (1. 6%; all reopened with repeat angioplasty), non-Q-wave myocardial infarction in 2 (1%), and urgent revascularization in 4 (2%). Complications at 30 days in the clopidogrel group were noncardiac death in 1 (1.2%), cardiac death in 1 (1.2%), stent occlusion in 0, non-Q-wave myocardial infarction in 3 (1.8%), and urgent revascularization in 0. Follow-up was available in 100% of patients in both groups (mean 253 +/- 75 days in the ticlopidine group, 198 +/- 53 days in the clopidogrel group). Complications at >30 days in the ticlopidine group were death in 1 and clinical restenosis in 11 (5.8%); 1 additional patient had an admission with unstable angina to the local hospital. Hence, recurrent angina as a consequence of target lesion restenosis occurred in 5.8%. Complications at >30 days in the clopidogrel group were death in 0 and clinical restenosis in 8 (4.7%); 2 additional patients were admitted with unstable angina to the local hospital, and 1 patient had a myocardial infarction 164 days after stent implantation. Hence, recurrent angina as a consequence of target lesion restenosis occurred in 4.7%. There were no significant differences in complications between the 2 groups.ConclusionsOur observations suggest that clopidogrel can be used instead of ticlopidine in patients treated with stents with a diameter of

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