Clinical and angiographic risk assessment in patients with left main stem lesions

Abstract

Percutaneous coronary intervention of unprotected left main stem lesions has been shown to be a suitable alternative to cardiac surgery in selected patients, emphasizing the need for appropriate risk stratification prior to selection of revascularization modality. Several risk models based on clinical and angiographic variables have been developed to guide patient selection, each of which has significant limitations. This paper reviews contemporary and newly proposed risk models for patients undergoing left main stem revascularization.