We established the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CVRF) four years ago and will hold the 11th session of the annual Angioplasty Summit this year. The field of cardiology has made remarkable progress in this country since I succeeded in PTCA through the use of the fixed guide wire balloon in December 1983. At present, more than 20,000 patients suffering from coronary artery diseases are receiving the PCI operation in Korea. Such remarkable progress could not have been made without the painstaking efforts of many domestic researchers and the warmhearted support from world-famous interventional cardiologists in foreign countries. In my opinion, the Angioplasty Summit led by Professors Seung-Jung Park and Seong-Wook Park, in particular, has provided the most valuable opportunities for education and training of the nation’s young talented interventional cardiologists.

The progress made in PCI has been aided by the development of many devices such as balloons, guide wires, and stent; as well as advancements in radiology and thienopyridine-series medication, the use of intravascular ultrasound technology and the lectures and live demonstrations of many expert interventional cardiologists. Restenosis, which has posed the most serious obstacle to PCI, appears to have been mostly settled, thanks to the drug eluting stent—a true gift to interventional cardiologists. With the appearance of stent, researches on restenosis will no longer attract any attention.

It should be pointed out that, despite the remarkable progress made in interventional cardiology, in comparison to the situation in foreign countries PCI cases in Korea far outnumber those of CABG. This leads one to believe that the nation’s cardiologists may be too heavily dependent on PCI in their treatment of patients. The trend may have arisen from live demonstration sessions that emphasize the technological aspects over informing commonly accepted methods of patient selection. My concern is that such meetings continue to be held one after the other at a very high expense, despite the existence of such prestigious events as the Angioplasty Summit. It is high time that we begin efforts to make adjustments between interventional meetings in reflection of realistic situations, and use the budget thus saved for worthwhile ventures, such as joint research through close cooperation between the Korean Society of CardioVascular Intervention and the CVRF. We should also strive to find ways to reduce the cost of materials used in PCI, such as stent and balloons, for patients. Finally, I wish the CVRF the best of luck in the future.