Effect of Pioglitazone in Preventing In-Stent Restenosis after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Meta-Analysis

Background The benefits of pioglitazone in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is unclear. Objectives To evaluate the effect of pioglitazone on prevention of in-stent restenosis (ISR) in patients with T2DM after PCI. Methods All full-text published relevant studies compared the effect of pioglitazone with control group (placebo or no pioglitazone treatment) on ISR in patients with T2DM after PCI were identified by searching the databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and ISI Web of Science through October 2015. The endpoints were defined as the rate of ISR, late lumen loss, in-stent neointimal volume, target lesion revascularization (TLR) and major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Results Six studies (5 RCTs and 1 retrospective study), comprising 503 patients, were included into this meta-analysis. In the pioglitazone group, as compared with the control group, the risk ratio for ISR was 0.48 (I-2 = 14.5%, P = 0.322; 95% CI 0.35 to 0.68, P<0.001), the risk ratio for TLR was 0.58 (I-2 = 6.0%, P = 0.363; 95% CI 0.38 to 0.87, P = 0.009). The result showed there was no association between the use of pioglitazone and the events of MACE (I-2 = 36.7%, P = 0.209; RR 0.56, 95% CI 0.30 to 1.05, P = 0.071). For the considerable heterogeneity, further analysis was not suitable for the endpoints of late lumen loss (I-2 = 81.9%, P<0.001) and neointimal volume (I-2 = 75.9%, P = 0.016). Conclusions The treatment of pioglitazone was associated with a reduction in ISR and TLR in T2DM patients suffering from PCI, except the incidence of MACE.