THE LONG-TERM EFFICACY OF DIFFERENT ENDOVASCULAR TREATMENTS FOR CORONARY ARTERY CALCIFICATION FOLLOWED BY STENTING

Objective: To evaluate the long-term efficacy of different methods of endovascular treatment of coronary artery calcification (CAC), followed by stenting. Methods: Outpatient follow-up results were analyzed, and data regarding the long-term quality of life of patients in two groups were collected. Both groups received surgery between 2017 and the first half of 2022. The main group (MG) consisted of 71 patients who were treated with a combination of rotational atherectomy (RA) followed by angioplasty and stenting of the coronary arteries. Meanwhile, the control group (CG) included 138 patients who underwent standard balloon angioplasty with stenting. Both groups were matched in terms of gender distribution and age. In the MG, 59.2% of the patients were men and 40.8% were women. In the CG, these figures were 55.1% men and 44.9% women. Additionally, the average age was 72±6.9 years in the MG and 70±6.8 years in the CG. Both groups also had a high body mass index, indicating similar anthropometric parameters. Results: The analysis of remote treatment results in both groups focused on several key indicators: long-term patient survival, recurrence of CAC, restenosis, occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), repeated surgical interventions (such as coronary artery bypass grafting and coronary stenting), and assessments of the patients' physical and mental well-being using the 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36). The findings indicated that patients in the TG experienced a statistically significant reduction in restenosis and MACE over the long term. Additionally, data showed a significantly higher level of mental and physical well-being in patients from the MG compared to those in the CG.Conclusion: The use of RA resulted in lower rates of restenosis and MACE during the remote follow-up period when compared to CG. Additionally, MG patients demonstrated a higher quality of life in both physical and psychological aspects. Therefore, it is recommended to increase the use of RA in the endovascular treatment of CAC conditions. Keywords: Coronary artery calcification, endovascular treatment, long-term results, rotational atherectomy, balloon angioplasty, restenosis.