Response to Letter Regarding Article, “Stent Thrombosis Late After Implantation of First-Generation Drug-Eluting Stents: A Cause for Concern”

We are grateful for the thorough comments by Agostoni et al and Kereiakes et al, which give us the opportunity to clarify our position. As Agostoni et al point out, important limitations exist in the measurements of luminal dimensions that may be magnified when the change in those dimensions are assessed by measurement of late loss (LL). Furthermore, there is variation in absolute quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) values according to core laboratories, which makes comparison of QCA data problematic.1 Regardless of these facts, QCA of lumen dimensions has long been the backbone of clinical studies in the field of restenosis.2 It has now become crucial to go beyond luminal measurements and to focus on both events that matter to the patient and their …