Large platelets but not putative endothelial progenitor cells are associated with low strut coverage after drug-eluting stent implantation

Objectives This study assessed whether different subsets of circulating endothelial and putative endothelial progenitor cells (CEC and EPC) correlate with stent strut coverage (SSC) using second generation optical coherence tomography (OCT). Background Due to the lack of imaging modalities with a resolution down to the magnitude of a few cells, the influence of EPC on endothelialisation of drug-eluting stents has not been assessed in patients. Methods In 37 patients, SSC of everolimus-eluting stents was assessed by OCT 5-7months after stent implantation. Different subsets of EPC (CD34(+)KDR(+), CD34(+)KDR(+)CD45(dim), CD133(+), CD3(+)CD31(+)), CEC (CD31(+)CD45(-)CD146(+)), and CD31(+)CD45(-…