Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is the gold standard for the treatment of 
left main disease, whereas percutaneous coronary intervention is a viable option 
for patients who are candidates for revascularization but ineligible for CABG. 
CABG is limited by extended hospital stay followed by rehabilitation and 
mediocre long-term patency of saphenous vein grafts. Drug-eluting stents 
decrease the restenosis rates compared with bare metal stents and provide 
comparable clinical outcomes with those of CABG. Patients with isolated left 
main disease limited to the ostium or midbody are most likely to have good 
clinical outcomes with low restenosis and stent thrombosis rates. The results of 
the ongoing EXCEL trial, which compares left main percutaneous coronary 
intervention with drug-eluting stents and CABG, will provide insight regarding 
the ideal revascularization strategy for these patients.