LAUSR

Background: Paclitaxel-coated balloons (PCBs) are a preferred treatment option for coronary in-stent restenosis. To date, data from randomized trials of alternative drug coatings are lacking. The aim of the randomized Malaysian and German-Swiss randomized trials was to investigate a novel sirolimus-coated balloon (SCB) compared with a PCB in in-stent restenosis. Methods: One hundred one patients with drug-eluting stent in-stent restenosis were enrolled in 2 identical randomized trials comparing the novel SCB (SeQuent SCB, 4 μg/mm²) with the clinically proven PCB (SeQuent Please, 3 μg/mm²). Primary end point was angiographic late lumen loss at 6 months. Secondary end points included procedural success, major adverse cardiac events, and individual clinical end points such as stent thrombosis, cardiac death, target lesion myocardial infarction, clinically driven target lesion revascularization, and binary restenosis. Results: Quantitative coronary angiography revealed no differences in baseline parameters. After 6 months, in-segment late lumen loss was 0.25±0.57 mm in the PCB group versus 0.26±0.60 mm in the SCB group. Mean difference between SCB and PCB was 0.01 (95% CI, -0.23 to 0.24). Noninferiority at a predefined margin of 0.35 was shown. Clinical events up to 12 months did not differ between the groups. Conclusions: This first-in man comparison of a novel SCB with a crystalline coating showed similar angiographic and clinical outcomes in the treatment of coronary drug-eluting stent in-stent restenosis compared with PCB. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02996318, NCT03242096.