Clinical Research Directory

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Patients aged ≥18 years presenting with MI where the culprit de-novo (stent restenosis/thrombosis excluded) lesion has a Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow of ≥ I with signs of thrombus on angiographic (or CCTA followed by conventional coronary angiography) evaluation located in a native coronary artery (a by-pass graft vessel excluded) addressable by PCI; 2. OCT criteria (all 4 should be present): 1. Presence of thrombus 2. Absence of an overt ruptured plaque flap 3. Area of stenosis of ≥ 50% 4. Presence of atherosclerotic, predominantly lipidic or fibrotic plaque underneath (absence of major calcifications or calcified noduli) Exclusion Criteria: 1. Culprit lesion located or extending in the Left Main coronary artery; 2. Presence of large coronary aneurysms; 3. Large thrombus burden (extending for more than \> 15 mm); 4. Patients with severe tortuous lesions (OCT judged not possible); 5. Spontaneous coronary dissection is suspected; 6. Renal insufficiency (Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) \< 29 ml/min/1.73m2; Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) stage 4 and 5); 7. Life expectancy less than 2 years; 8. Pregnant or lactating women; 9. Patients currently participating in another trial; 10. Patients that are unable or unwilling to provide consent; OCT exclusion criteria: 11. Overt plaque rupture; 12. Thrombosed protruding calcified noduli; 13. Predominantly calcific lesions with calcium arc \> 180° in the target segment; 14. Presence of calcium plaque of \> 0.4 mm thick;