Comparison of the efficacy and safety of statin and statin/ezetimibe therapy after coronary stent implantation in patients with stable angina.

Little is known about the efficacy and safety of intensive lowering of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) with statin/ezetimibe therapy after coronary stent implantation in patients with stable angina. Fifty patients with stable angina were randomly divided into an atorvastatin (10 mg/day) (A) group and an atorvastatin (10 mg/day)/ezetimibe (10 mg/day) (A+E) group after stent implantation. Follow-up coronary angiography was performed at 6-9 months after stenting. The A and A+E groups showed significant reductions in LDL-C. The levels of LDL-C in the A+E group were significantly lower than those in the A group at follow-up, whereas there were no differences in major adverse cardiac events, in-stent restenosis, or in-stent % diameter stenosis (DS) between the groups. Only the A+E group showed a significant decrease in the levels of highly sensitive C-reactive protein. In a sub-analysis, %DS in the non-target vessel significantly decreased in both groups. Moreover, Δ%DS (Δ=the value at baseline minus that at follow-up) in the A+E group was more closely associated with LDL-C levels at follow-up than that in the A group. There were no significant differences in adverse effects between the A and A+E groups. In conclusion, although statin/ezetimibe therapy was effective and safe for intensive lipid-lowering in patients with stable angina after successful coronary stent implantation, improvement in clinical outcomes with the combination therapy remains unclear.