Pulmonary vein stent implantation effective as first-line therapy for pulmonary vein stenosis

Pulmonary vein stent implantation (PSI) in patients with pulmonary vein stenosis

(PVS) is associated with a reduced risk of re-intervention and should be considered first-line therapy, according to a study.

After conducting a literature search of studies comparing pulmonary vein balloon angioplasty (PBA) and PSI in patients with PVS, 8 observational studies were identified. Of the 768 patients included with severe PVS, 487 patients between the ages of 6 months and 70 years met inclusion criteria and were analyzed.

Re-stenosis requiring re-intervention was needed in 196 of 325 veins of patients treated with PBA and 111 of 443 veins of patients treated with PSI. Pulmonary vein balloon angioplasty was associated with a significantly increased risk of re-stenosis compared with PSI.

Procedure-related complications happened in 7 of 122 patients in the PBA group and 6 of 69 in the PSI group.

No statistically significant differences were found between the groups in safety outcomes.

Reference
Agasthi P, Sridhara S, Rattanawong P, et al. Safety and efficacy of balloon angioplasty compared to stent-based-strategies with pulmonary vein stenosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. World J Cardiol. 2023;15(2):64-75. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v15.i2.64. PMID: 36911751; PMCID: PMC9993931.