Pathological Perspective of Drug-Eluting Stent Thrombosis

Although very late stent thrombosis (VLST) after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation remains a major concern, the precise mechanisms have not been clarified. An association between late acquired incomplete stent apposition (ISA) and VLST of DES has been suggested by several intravascular ultrasound studies demonstrating very high prevalence of ISA in the setting of VLST. To clarify the pathological mechanisms of VLST, we investigated vascular responses of coronary arteries of VLST cases after DES implantation.