Comparison of neointimal coverage between everolimus-eluting stents and sirolimus-eluting stents: an optical coherence tomography substudy of the RESET (Randomized Evaluation of Sirolimus-eluting versus Everolimus-eluting stent Trial)

Aims: The aim of the present study was to compare vascular healing response between the first-generation sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) and the second-generation everolimus-eluting stent (EES) by using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Methods and results: The RESET was a prospective, multicentre, randomised, open-label trial comparing EES and SES. Of the 3,197 patients enrolled in the RESET, nine-month follow-up OCT after stent implantation was performed in 100 patients (48 EES-treated lesions in 44 patients and 62 SES-treated lesions in 56 patients), thus constituting the OCT substudy population. The percentage of uncovered struts per lesion (8 15% vs. 14 19%, p=0.031) and cross-sections with >30% uncovered struts per lesion (6 14% vs. 18 29%, p=0.009) was significantly lower in EES compared with SES. The frequency of DES-treated lesions with incomplete stent apposition (8 [17%] vs. 29 [47%], p<0.001) was significantly lower in EES compared with SES. Intra-stent thrombus was comparably observed between EES and SES (1 [2%] vs. 5 [8%], p=0.229). Conclusions: Compared with SES, EES was associated with a favourable vascular response at nine months after stent implantation.