The objective of this analysis is to answer the two questions: what clinically relevant data regarding DES have been published, and is there a clinically relevant difference between the Cypher and the Taxus stents? Twenty-two randomized, controlled studies with a total of 11,118 patients were identified: 18 randomized studies compared a DES to a bare metal stent of identical design in 8,301 patients, and 4 randomized studies compared the Cypher and the Taxus stents in 2,817 patients. Three studies regarding Paclitaxel-releasing stents without polymer (1,235 pats) and five studies regarding Paclitaxel released from a polymer (3,513 pats) were analyzed.

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