Decade of Histological Follow-Up for a Fully Biodegradable Poly- l -lactic Acid Coronary Stent (Igaki-Tamai Stent) in Humans

An 83-year-old male with a history of angina pectoris presented with massive intracranial hemorrhage in June 2011, and he died 2 days after admission. Previously, he was included in the first in-human feasibility study of biodegradable poly- l -lactic acid (PLLA) coronary stents: the Igaki-Tamai stents (Kyoto Medical Planning Co Ltd, Kyoto, Japan).1,2 To assess the long-term behavior of PLLA coronary stents in humans, postmortem examination of his coronary arteries was performed.In November 1999, he was diagnosed with stable angina pectoris, and coronary angiography disclosed a single lesion at the middle part of left anterior descending coronary artery (Figure 1A). One Igaki-Tamai stent had been implanted with successful result (Figure 1B). He received …