Patients who got heart bypass surgery and those who got their blocked arteries propped open with stents fared equally well five years after their procedures, South Korean doctors reported on Wednesday.

The study of more than 2,200 patients showed no difference in death, heart attack or stroke between the two groups, Dr. Duk-Woo Park of Ulsan College of Medicine in Seoul and colleagues reported.

The patients all had a serious heart blockage called unprotected left main coronary artery stenosis, which doctors agree needs treatment.

But heart surgeons have disagreed about whether stretching the artery open and inserting a wire mesh tube called a stent is as effective as more traditional bypass surgery.

“There was no significant difference in the risks of death,” the researchers wrote in the journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The European Society of Cardiology’s spokesman William Wijns said the study showed that angioplasty with a stent should be considered as an option for patients who do not want bypass surgery.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters)