SEE PAGE 1 G iven its historically low procedural success rate, chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has long been considered the Achilles’ heel of percutaneous revascularization. Recent years, however, have witnessed significant progress in the field. Indeed, the adoption of novel strategies coupled with dedication and perseverance of pioneering operators has ...

A 65 year old man, smoker, presented with a history of exertional shortness of breath over the last 4 months. He denied any chest discomfort. On examination jugular venous distension was noted with bilateral basal crackles. He got symptomatic relief after treatment with diuretics and nitrates. His echocardiogramme revealed global hypokinesia of left ventricle with severe mitral regurgitation. H...

There is an increasing need for percutaneous revascularization procedures of coronary Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO), because many patients with severe coronary artery disease have limited options for revascularization. Although the success rate of percutaneous revascularization of CTOs was unsatisfactory from the 1990s to the 2000s, recent technological advances in interventional strategies hav...

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) of Chronic Total Occlusions (CTO) is an accepted revascularization procedure. These complex procedures carry with them certain risks and potential complications. Complications of PCI such as contrast induced renal dysfunction, radiation, etc, assume more relevance given the length and complexity of these procedures. Further, certain complications such as...

Copyright © 2011 American Heart Association. All rights reserved. Print ISSN: 0009-7322. Online 72514 Circulation is published by the American Heart Association. 7272 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.110.972802 2011;123;1780-1784 Circulation Pinak B. Shah Management of Coronary Chronic Total Occlusion http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/123/16/1780 located on t...