Coronary disease & ACSCohort study

The Retrograde Approach to Chronic Total Occlusion Percutaneous Coronary Interventions

JACC Cardiovasc IntervPublished

  • Observational study
  • multicentre (44 centres)

Authors' conclusion

Retrograde CTO PCI is utilized in highly complex cases and yields moderate success rates with 5.8% perforation and 3.5% periprocedural MACE rates. Among retrograde crossing strategies, retrograde true lumen puncture was the safest.

Study context

Population
Retrograde chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCIs) at 44 centres, 2012–2023
Participants
4,058 retrograde CTO PCIs

Main finding

As reported in the abstract

Retrograde CTO PCI outcomes

Technical success

78.7%

Procedural success

76.6%

Retrograde crossing successful

60.5%

Lesion crossing successful

81.6%

Observational data: associations, not effects.

Further findings

Mean J-CTO score

Mean J-CTO score (± SD)
3.1 ± 1.1

Collateral pathways successfully used

Septals
62.0%
Saphenous vein grafts
17.4%
Epicardials
19.1%

Technical success with antegrade approach after failed retrograde crossing

Technical success
50.3%

Safety

In-hospital major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (death, MI, repeat target vessel revascularization, pericardiocentesis, cardiac surgery, stroke)

In-hospital MACE
3.5%

Clinical coronary perforation

Clinical coronary perforation
5.8%

In-hospital MACE by retrograde crossing strategy

Retrograde true lumen crossing
2.1%
Just marker antegrade crossing
0.8%
Conventional reverse CART
5.5%
Contemporary reverse CART
3.0%
Extended reverse CART
2.1%
Guide-extension reverse CART
3.2%
CART
4.1%
  • P = 0.01

Original publication

The Retrograde Approach to Chronic Total Occlusion Percutaneous Coronary Interventions. JACC Cardiovasc Interv. Published 27 November 2023. doi:10.1016/j.jcin.2023.08.031

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