ABSTRACT
In-stent restenosis (ISR) is the gradual narrowing of the stented coronary segment, presenting as angina or leading to an acute myocardial infarction. Although its incidence has decreased with the use of newer drug-eluting stents (DES), it still carries significant mortality and morbidity risks. We compared the 2 most common interventions for managing DES-related ISR: drug-coated balloons (DCBs) and DES. Electronic databases were searched to identify all randomized controlled trials comparing DCB with DES in patients with DES-ISR. The Mantel-Haenszel method with a random-effects model was used to calculate pooled risk ratios. Five trials comprising 1,100 patients (577 in DCB and 523 in DES group) were included in the final study. The mean follow-up was 42 months. DCB was found to have a higher risk for target lesion revascularization (risk ratio 1.41, p = 0.02) compared with DES. No difference was observed in all-cause mortality, target vessel revascularization, myocardial infarction, or stroke between the 2 intervention arms. In conclusion, management of DES-ISR with DCB has a higher risk of target lesion revascularization compared with re-stenting with DES. The 2 therapeutic interventions are comparable in terms of efficacy and safety profile.