Review of Techniques for Protecting Side Branch from Occlusion during Provisional Stenting in Coronary Bifurcation Lesions

Coronary bifurcation lesions remain one of the most challenging lesions for cardiology interventionists. The provisional stenting strategy has been regarded as the first option for most of these lesions. However, the main complication of this technique is side branch (SB) occlusion, which could lead to a peri-procedural myocardial infarction or even death. Various studies have focused on addressing this issue, but there are no definitive guidelines in the literature to treat these lesions. There isn't enough clinical evidence from randomized controlled trial or two-arm cohort studies to illustrate which techniques provide the best outcomes. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms, independent predictors and predictive models of SB occlusion, and review seventeen techniques involving SB protection and occlusion rescue. Every technique was evaluated according to related bench tests, clinical studies and our own clinical experiences. The aim of this review is to provide interventionists with new insights for the treatment of coronary bifurcation lesions.