Enhancing Coronary Intervention Outcomes Using Intravascular Ultrasound: Analysis of Long-Term Benefits in a Japanese Multicenter Registry.

Background: Although the use of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been shown to improve clinical outcomes, its utilization remains inconsistent. We aimed to assess the association between IVUS-guided PCI and long-term outcomes in Japan, where a high proportion of patients undergo IVUS. Methods: We analyzed 8721 consecutive patients in a multicenter PCI registry. The primary outcome was a composite of death, acute coronary syndrome, and heart failure requiring admission and coronary artery bypass grafting at 2 years after discharge. The secondary outcome was each component of the primary outcome. We used inverse probability-weighted analysis for adjustment. Subgroup analysis was conducted on patients with complex coronary anatomy (eg, those with bifurcation, chronic total occlusion, type C lesion, left main and those who underwent rotational atherectomy). Results: Overall, 83.8% of patients underwent IVUS-guided PCI (mean age, 68.3 ± 11.3 years). After adjustments, the IVUS group had significantly lower rates of death and coronary bypass compared to no IVUS group (hazard ratio [HR], 0.73; 95% CI, 0.55-0.96; and HR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.39-0.98) at 2-year follow-up, although the primary outcome showed only marginal differences (HR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.71-1.01). In the subgroup analysis of complex coronary anatomy, the use of IVUS was significantly associated with a reduced risk of the primary outcome (HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.55-0.93) as well as death, coronary bypass, and heart failure. Conclusions: IVUS was frequently utilized in our registry and demonstrated potential benefit in reducing mortality and need for coronary bypass surgery, particularly in patients with complex coronary anatomy.