Usefulness of the Tornus® Catheter in Nondilatable Coronary Chronic Total Occlusion

The treatment of coronary chronic total occlusions (CTO) remains a challenge for the interventional cardiologist. Failure of balloon angioplasty is the second more common cause of an unsuccessful procedure. We describe our experience with the use of the new Tornus (R) catheter (Asahi Intecc, Aichi, Japan) designed specifically for the treatment of "nondilatable" alp. Between November 2008 and March 2010, 17 patients (age 62 years, 88% men, 82% dyslipidemia, 52% hypertension, 29% diabetes) were treated in whom balloon dilatation had failed after crossing the lesion with the guide. The use of Tornus (R) catheter was successful without complications in 15. All patients underwent clinical follow-up (median, 573 days) with no documented major adverse events. The use of the Tornus catheter is safe and feasible in those patients with CTO lesions in whom balloon angioplasty has been unsuccessful. Full English text available from: www.revespcardiol.org (C) 2010 Sociedad Espanola de Cardiologia. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.