The VEST III is a randomized controlled trial that enrolled 184 patients in 14 centres in Germany, Austria, Israel and the UK. At two years, the trial met its primary and secondary endpoints showing superior perfect patency rates (Fitzgibbon I) of externally stented vein grafts compared to the control group (66.4% vs 53.6%, p value = 0.02) and a highly significant reduction of 25% (p value <0.001) in both intimal area and thickness assessed by intravascular ultrasound.
"The results of the VEST III trial confirm our previous observations regarding the bio-mechanical effects of external stenting," said Professor Taggart who leads the Cardiac Surgery Trials Group in NDS. "This is another milestone in our ongoing efforts to improve coronary surgery and patients' quality of life. As the principle investigator of the first in man VEST I trial in 2011, and who has closely followed the evolution of this technology in the last 10 years, it is very satisfying to see how the combined effort of surgeons, scientists and innovators has led to a technology with high clinical impact."