ABSTRACT
Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has become a reliable revascularization option to treat advanced coronary artery disease (CAD). Several recent trials suggest that PCI with metallic drug-eluting stents (DESs) is feasible and safe and has equivalent long-term outcomes compared to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for the treatment of lesser complex left main (LM) stenosis. This chapter reviews the indication and technical considerations of bioresorbable coronary stents or "scaffolds" (BRSs) implantation in LM disease and focus on scaffolding strategies for the LM bifurcation. CABG is considered the "gold standard" treatment for most patients with LM disease. However, several studies have indicated equally good clinical outcomes while comparing CABG to PCI in selected patient populations. PCI with DES has to be selected as the revascularization strategy only in patients able to comply with dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) for several months.
