This document provides an overview of approaches to chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention (CTO PCI). It defines CTOs and discusses their prevalence. Key points include:
- Success rates for CTO PCI are over 90% currently due to improved techniques and tools.
- Imaging like angiography, CT angiography, and IVUS help plan procedures by assessing lesion characteristics and collateral circulation.
- The retrograde approach and antegrade dissection and re-entry are common techniques in addition to the standard antegrade wire escalation method.
- Scoring systems like the J-CTO and W-CTO scores can predict difficulty and likelihood of success to help determine approach.
- Careful planning including