Coronary Sinus Endothelin-1 Levels in Patients with PTCA and Stent Implantation

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) isa vasoactive peptide originating from the endothelium and has mitogenic properties. It is the strongest vasoconstrictor substance, and i ts acti va tion by atherosclerosis contributes to the progression of this process. It was shown that some physical factors such as mechanical pressure and stretch to the vessel wall causes endothelin release. In this study, the effect of the PTCA and s te nt implantation on ET-I release in the coronary artery was investigated. For this purpose, 41 patients who had stable angina pectoris and were candidates for elective PTCA and stent implantation were divided into 2 groups: patients in whom only PTCA (group I, n=22) and patients in whom stent implantation was additionally (group II, n=19) performed. Just before the procedure and 15 minutes after the last balloon inflation, blood samples were taken from coronary sinus for ET-1 measurements. In both the PTCA and stent groups significant ET-I increases were detected after the procedure (1 .64 ± 0. 15 VS 3.28 ± 0.39 pg/ml, p < 0.0001; 1.28 ± 0. 13 vs 2.72 ± 0.24 pg/ml, pKeywords: Endothelin-1, coronary angioplasty, coronary stenting