Subintimal dissection/reentry strategies in coronary chronic total occlusion interventions

Percutaneous Treatment of Coronary Chronic Total Occlusion Part 2: Technical Approach

Dual injection is recommended for nearly all chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to determine the optimal crossing strategy and guide wire advancement into the distal true lumen. Strategies that provide enhanced guide catheter support (such as long sheaths, large-bore guiding catheters, use of guide catheter extensions, and anchor techniques) are important for maximising the success rate and efficiency of CTO PCI. Use of a microcatheter or over-the-wire balloon is strongly recommended in CTO PCI for enhancing the penetrating power of the guidewire, enabling change in tip shape and allowing guidewire change (stiff CTO guidewires are not optimal for crossing non-occluded coronary segments). Adherence to a procedural strategy that standardises CTO technique and facilitates procedural success is recommended. Such a strategy would permit stepwise decision-making for antegrade and retrograde methods; inform guidewire selection; and incorporate alternative approaches for instances of initial failure. Given the paucity of long-term outcomes with use of novel crossing techniques (antegrade dissection/re-entry and retrograde), antegrade wire escalation is the preferred CTO crossing technique, if technically feasible. Using measures to minimise radiation exposure (including but not limited to use of 7.5 frames per second fluoroscopy and use of low magnification) and contrast administration is recommended. CTO PCI is best performed at centres with dedicated CTO PCI experience and expertise. Use of crossing difficulty prediction tools, such as the J-CTO score, can facilitate the selection of cases with a high likelihood of quick crossing that can be attempted at less experienced centres.

Validation of the J-chronic total occlusion score for chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention in an independent contemporary cohort

BACKGROUND

Chronic total occlusion (CTO) recanalization is a complex and technically challenging procedure. The J-CTO score has been proposed to stratify case complexity and procedural success rates. However, the score has never been tested outside the setting of the original study. Moreover, its predictive value when using a hybrid antegrade or retrograde approach is unknown. We investigated the performance of the J-CTO score for predicting procedure complexity and success in an independent contemporary cohort.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A total of 209 consecutive patients who underwent CTO recanalization by a high-volume operator were included. Clinical and angiographic data were prospectively collected. The J-CTO score was applied for each patient, and discrimination and calibration were evaluated in the whole cohort, and according to the approach (antegrade 47% and retrograde 53%). Clinical and angiographic differences were noted between the original and studied cohort. The mean J-CTO score was 2.18±1.26, and successful guidewire crossing within 30 minutes and final angiographic success were 44.5% and 90.4%, respectively. The J-CTO score demonstrated good discrimination (c statistic, >0.70) and calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow P>0.1) in the whole cohort and for antegrade and retrograde approaches. However, the final success rate was not associated with the J-CTO score.

CONCLUSIONS

In this independent cohort, the J-CTO score showed good discriminatory and calibration capacity for guidewire CTO crossing within 30 minutes but it does not for final success rate. The J-CTO score helps to predict complexity of CTO recanalization, and the simplicity of the score supports the widespread use as a clinical tool.

Successful bypass restenting across the struts of an occluded subintimal stent in chronic total occlusion using a retrograde approach

Recently, subintimal angioplasty has been introduced as a bailout strategy to improve the success rate of PCI for vessels with CTO. However, the long-term outcome of subintimal angioplasty has not been determined, and a limitation of subintimal angioplasty is the uncertainty in making the re-entry point. We report two cases, where occlusive in-stent restenosis occurred in a stent implanted in the subintimal space of the RCA that had CTO. These two cases were successfully treated with bypass restenting across the struts of an occluded subintimal stent using a retrograde approach. A retrograde wire crossed the occluded segment through the lumen along the outside of the stent and reentered the inside of the stent across the stent struts. The reverse CART technique followed by multiple restenting across the stent struts restored antegrade flow. Follow-up angiography demonstrated the patency of the RCA.

Outcomes after complete versus incomplete revascularization of patients with multivessel coronary artery disease: a meta-analysis of 89,883 patients enrolled in randomized clinical trials and observational studies

OBJECTIVES

This study sought to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing complete revascularization (CR) versus incomplete revascularization (IR) in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND

There are conflicting data regarding the benefits of CR in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease.

METHODS

We identified observational studies and subgroup analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCT) published in PubMed from 1970 through September 2012 using the following keywords: "percutaneous coronary intervention" (PCI); "coronary artery bypass graft" (CABG); "complete revascularization"; and "incomplete revascularization." Main outcome measures were total mortality, myocardial infarction, and repeat revascularization procedures.

RESULTS

We identified 35 studies including 89,883 patients, of whom 45,417 (50.5%) received CR and 44,466 (49.5%) received IR. IR was more common after PCI than after CABG (56% vs. 25%; p < 0.001). Relative to IR, CR was associated with lower long-term mortality (risk ratio [RR]: 0.71, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.65 to 0.77; p < 0.001), myocardial infarction (RR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.68 to 0.90; p = 0.001), and repeat coronary revascularization (RR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.65 to 0.83; p < 0.001). The mortality benefit associated with CR was consistent across studies irrespective of revascularization modality (CABG: RR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.61 to 0.80; p < 0.001; and PCI: RR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.64 to 0.81; p < 0.001) and definition of CR (anatomic definition: RR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.67 to 0.79; p < 0.001; and nonanatomic definition: RR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.36 to 0.89; p = 0.014).

CONCLUSIONS

CR is achieved more commonly with CABG than with PCI. Among patients with multivessel coronary artery disease, CR may be the optimal revascularization strategy.