Coronary disease & ACSCohort study

Drug-Coated Balloon–Based Angioplasty for Chronic Total Occlusions

JACC Cardiovasc IntervPublished

  • Registry study
  • multicentre
  • ambispective
  • all-comers
  • propensity-score matched

Authors' conclusion

In a real-world cohort of patients undergoing CTO PCI, a DCB-based strategy, either alone or in combination with stents, was associated with favorable 1-year clinical outcomes. No significant differences were observed between DCB-only and blended treatment with a stent.

Study context

Population
Consecutive chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) patients treated with at least 1 drug-coated balloon (DCB) at 21 international centres
Participants
938 patients
Exposure
DCB-only vs DCB + stent
  • DCB onlyn = 476
  • DCB + stentn = 462reference
Outcome
Target vessel failure:
  • Cardiac death
  • Target vessel MI
  • Target vessel revascularization
Follow-up
12 months

Main finding

As reported in the abstract

Target vessel failure

P < 0.399

Target vessel failure, whole population
9.5%

Observational data: associations, not effects.

Further findings

Target vessel failure after propensity score matching · 12 months · matched cohort

P < 0.367

Target vessel failure after propensity score matching · 12 months

No differences for any component of the composite endpoint

Safety

In-hospital AKI, perforation, periprocedural MI

AKI
3.6%
Perforations
5%
Periprocedural MI
1.8%
No differences among strategies

Original publication

Drug-Coated Balloon–Based Angioplasty for Chronic Total Occlusions. JACC Cardiovasc Interv. Published 21 May 2026. doi:10.1016/j.jcin.2026.05.009

Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it