An Approach to Non-left Main Bifurcation Lesions: A Contemporary Review

Abstract

Bifurcated anatomical locations in the arterial tree, such as coronary artery bifurcations, are prone to develop obstructive atherosclerotic lesions due to the pro-atherogenic low wall shear stress. The percutaneous treatment of bifurcation lesions is among the most challenging complex coronary interventions, including different multistep stenting strategies. Even though provisional side branch (SB) stenting is recommended as the primary approach in most cases, the debate continues between provisional SB and upfront two-stent strategies, particularly in complex bifurcations consisting of a significantly diseased SB that supplies a crucial myocardial territory. This review will highlight the importance of understanding the bifurcation philosophy and provide an individual algorithmic approach to find the optimal treatment strategy for each patient with a non-left main coronary bifurcation lesion. Considering the most recent scientific evidence, the advantages and disadvantages of each stenting technique and the role of intracoronary imaging to optimize bifurcation percutaneous coronary intervention outcomes will be discussed.