Two years Experience of the Use of a Penetration Catheter (Tornus) Recanalization During Percutaneous Coronary Interventions on Chronic Total Occlusions

We included in this study 43 patients chronic total occlusions (CTO) subjected percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) with the use of penetration catheter (Tornus) in 2009-2010. Penetration catheter was applied only in those cases when it was not possible to introduce low profile coronary dilatation catheter into the site of occlusion. After penetration of CTO by a guide wire a channel was formed by a manually rotated penetration catheter. The Tornus catheter was successfully passed into distal part of an artery in 81.4% of cases. In other 8 (18,6%) patients with pronounced calcinosis of CTO the penetration catheter could not be positioned distal to the occlusion. However in 2 cases partially formed channel in CTO allowed to introduce coronary balloon into the lesion and to perform successful dilation followed by implantation of a stent. Overall successful CCO recanalization with subsequent stenting was accomplished in 86% of cases. Complications developed in 4.6% of cases. There were no Q-wave myocardial infarctions, deaths, or urgent ocoronary bypass graftings. Thus the use of penetration catheter (Tornus) allowed us to perform effective PCI on CTO in cases of impossibility to introduce a coronary dilatation catheter along a guide wire into the occlusion site. Rate of complications was at the level acceptable for such interventions.