Medtech titan Medtronic touts a relatively minor clinical trial win for the physical integrity of its Resolute drug-eluting stent in what is otherwise a tie with Boston Scientific’s Promus Element device.

Medtech giants Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) and Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) took their long-time stent rivalry to new heights in a 1st-of-its-kind head-to-head study of their next-generation drug-eluting stents, with researchers ultimately reporting little difference between their devices aside from a slight tendency for stent deformation.

Medtronic’s Resolute DES and Boston Scientific’s Promus Element performed effectively the same in terms of primary endpoints related to a composite of safety and efficacy, but the Promus Element was associated with a few cases of stent deformation that were not seen in the Resolute device.