Cor Vasa 2026, 68(5):538-545 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2026.025

Coronary Artery Disease with Isolated Side Branch Lesions: Follow-Up Outcomes with Medical Treatment

Mehmet Ali Maz^a, Fatih Gülçebi^b, İhsan Dursun^c

^a Department of Cardiology, Bayburt State Hospital, Bayburt, Turkey

^b Department of Cardiology, Trabzon Kanuni Training and Research Hospital, Trabzon, Turkey

^c Department of Cardiology, University of Trabzon Ahi Evren Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Trabzon, Turkey

This study aimed to eliminate the clinical dilemma between medical and interventional treatments for patients with CAD presenting with isolated side branch lesions. All coronary angiography procedures performed at our clinic between January 2020 and July 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were categorized into two groups based on whether their coronary side branch lesions progressed under medical treatment. Of the 400 patients included in the study, 332 exhibited no progression in their coronary lesions under medical treatment. Comparative analyses of angiographic data revealed that side branch vessel diameter during the first angiography (p = 0.012), percentage of side branch stenosis (p = 0.001), the time interval between the two angiographies (p = 0.049), ostial lesions in obtuse marginal 1 (p = 0.006), and ostial lesions in obtuse marginal 2 (p = 0.027) statistically significantly differed between the two groups. This study revealed a low rate of lesion progression in patients with CAD and isolated side branch lesions managed with medical treatment. These findings support the clinical feasibility of prioritizing medical therapy over interventional treatment for such patients.

Keywords: Coronary artery disease, Coronary artery side branch, Obtuse marginal artery

Received: February 20, 2026; Revised: February 20, 2026; Accepted: March 14, 2026; Prepublished online: October 8, 2026; Published: October 20, 2026  Show citation