Fractured DES with a patent coronary artery: clinical implications.

Recently, reports of stent fracture with focal restenosis have suggested that it is another mechanism of in-stent restenosis after implantation of sirolimus-eluting stents. However, the mechanism by which strut disruption occurs remains unknown. Current reports of in-stent restenosis suggest that fracture of drug-eluting stents is different from bare-metal stents, and can progress to restenosis and reocclusion. We report on a patient with a fractured stent in a patent coronary artery that progressed to diffuse neointimal hyperplasia presenting with acute myocardial infarction 2 years after stent placement.