Complications and Clinical Outcomes in Remote Period in Patients Subjected to Percutaneous Coronary Interventions on Chronic Total Occlusions of Coronary Arteries

Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) on chronic total occlusions have been always associated with worse immediate results compared with interventions on nonoccluded arteries. From initial stage of development of interventional cardiology up to present time intervention on chronic occlusions has remained one of most technically sophisticated procedures. This is related to difficulties which arise during passage of chronic occlusions with guide wires and balloons. Therefore large proportion of patients with occlusions of coronary arteries were directly sent to coronary bypass surgery. However in recent decade interventional cardiologists have created special wires and other tools for penetration of chronic occlusions. At the same time technique of revascularization of this type of coronary lesions has also improved. All this resulted in increased success rate of interventions. Moreover a number of trials have proven clinical advantages of revascularization of chronic coronary artery occlusions what serves as an extra stimulus for implementation of PCI. In this review we present results of clinical studies which might be of interest both for interventionalists and noninvasive cardiologists.