Effect of Lesion Age on Outcomes of Chronic Total Occlusion Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Insights From a Contemporary US Multicenter Registry.

BACKGROUND: We sought to determine the effect of lesion age on procedural techniques and outcomes of chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

METHODS: We examined the characteristics and outcomes of 394 CTO PCIs with data on lesion age, performed between 2012 and 2016 at 11 experienced US centres.

RESULTS: Mean patient age was 66 ± 10 years and 85.6% of the patients were men. Overall technical and procedural success rates were 90.1% and 87.5%, respectively. A major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) occurred in 16 patients (4.1%). Mean and median lesion ages were 43 ± 62 months and 12 months (interquartile range, 3-64 months), respectively. Patients were stratified into tertiles according to lesion age (3-5, 5-36.3, and > 36.3 months). Older lesion age was associated with older patient age (68 ± 8 vs 65 ± 10 vs 64 ± 11 years; P = 0.009), previous coronary artery bypass grafting (62% vs 42% vs 30%; P < 0.001), and moderate/severe calcification (75% vs 53% vs 59%; P = 0.001). Older lesions more often required use of the retrograde approach and antegrade dissection/re-entry for successful lesion crossing. There was no difference in technical (87.8% vs 89.6% vs 93.0%; P = 0.37) or procedural (86.3% vs 87.4% vs 89.0%; P = 0.80) success, or the incidence of MACE (3.1% vs 3.0% vs 6.3%; P = 0.31) for older vs younger occlusions.

CONCLUSIONS: Older CTO lesions exhibit angiographic complexity and more frequently necessitate the retrograde approach or antegrade dissection/re-entry. Older CTOs can be recanalized with high technical and procedural success and acceptable MACE rates. Lesion age appears unlikely to be a significant determinant of CTO PCI success.