Table 1

Characteristics of randomised clinical trials of PCI versus CABG included in meta-analysis

Lead author, publication date	Name of study or source of participants	Baseline population	Study design	Location	Baseline year of study	Age group (years)	Males(%)	PCI (n)	CABG(n)	Primary outcome	Follow-up time for endpoints
Buszman, 2008; 9 Buszman, 201620	LE MANS	Patients with >50% narrowing of ULMCA, with or without multivessel CAD suitable for equal revascularisation both with PCI and CABG, and were symptomatic with documented myocardial ischaemia	Prospective multicentre RCT	Poland	2008	61.0*	66.7	52	53	Major adverse cardiac and cerebral events	30 days, 1 year and 10 years
Morice, 2010; Kappetein, 2011; Morice, 201416–18	SYNTAX	Patients with de novo LM and/or 3-VD disease and ≥50 target vessel stenosis with stable or unstable angina	Prospective multicentre RCT	USA and Europe	2005 to 2007	65.5*	73.8	357	348	Major adverse cardiac and cerebral events	1, 3 and 5 years
Boudriot, 20118	NS	Patients with stenosis (≥50%) of the ULM with or without additional CAD	Prospective multicentre RCT	Germany	2003 to 2009	18–80	74.6	100	101	Major adverse cardiac events	30 days and 1 year
Park, 2011; 10 Ahn, 201519	PRECOMBAT	Patients with a diagnosis of stable angina, unstable angina, silent ischaemia or non-ST segment elevation MI	Prospective open-label multicentre RCT	South Korea	2004 to 2009	>18	76.5	300	300	Major adverse cardiac or cerebral events	30 days, 1 year and 5 years
Stone, 20166	EXCEL	Patients with ULMCA with angiographic diameter stenosis ≥70%	Open-label multicentre RCT	17 countries	2010 to 2014	65.9*	76.9	948	957	Composite of death from any cause, stroke or MI	30 days and 3 years
Makikallio, 201634	NOBLE	Patients with stable angina pectoris, unstable angina pectoris or acute coronary syndrome, together with a lesion with visually assessed stenosis diameter ≥50% or fractional flow reserve ≤0.80 in the LMCA ostium, mid-shaft or bifurcation, with no more than three additional non-complex lesions	Open-label non-inferiority multicentre RCT	36 centres in Europe	2008 to 2015	66.2*	78.4	592	592	Major adverse cardiac or cerebral events	30 days, 1 year and 5 years

*Mean age.
CABG, coronary artery bypass grafting; CAD, coronary artery disease; EXCEL, Evaluation of XIENCE versus Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery for Effectiveness of Left Main Revascularization; NOBLE, Nordic-Baltic-British left main revascularisation study; MI, myocardial infarction; NS, not stated; PCI, percutaneous coronary intervention; RCT, randomised controlled trial; SYNTAX, The SYNergy between percutaneous coronary intervention with TAXus and cardiac surgery; ULMCA, unprotected left main coronary artery; 3-VD, 3-vessel disease.