The “buddy stent technique” to overcome poor support for cover stent implantation to treat coronary perforation

An 86-year-old woman was managed for a non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Coronary angiography revealed significant stenoses at the left anterior descending, left ostial circumflex (LCX), obtuse first marginal, and a Medina 1.0.1 bifurcation lesion at the middle LCX/ second obtuse marginal (OM2). During percutaneous coronary intervention, the rupture of the pre-dilatation balloon was complicated by a type III coronary perforation at the level of the LCX/OM2 bifurcation, leading to cardiac tamponade. Hemodynamics were stabilized by percutaneous pericardial drainage. The placement of a covered stent (BeGraft, Bentley InnoMed), to seal the coronary perforation, was not possible due to its great rigidity and the angulation towards the OM2, even with the use of a guiding catheter extension (Guidezilla, Boston Scientific). To further increase support, we decided to use the flexibility of a regular drug-eluting stent which we implanted from the LCX to the OM2, thereby creating a rail-like path in which the covered stent could then be positioned and deployed successfully, allowing the perforation to be sealed with a good final result. This is what we called the “buddy stent technique”.