Real-World Use and Appropriateness of Coronary Interventions for Chronic Total Occlusion (from a Japanese Multicenter Registry)

Little is known about the outcomes and indications of chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention (CTO-PCI), other than in high-volume centers. We sought to provide a real-world overview of the clinical outcomes and appropriateness of PCI for CTO. The analysis included 4,950 consecutive PCIs for nonacute indications registered in the multicenter Japanese PCI registry in collaboration with the US National Cardiovascular Data Registry (Cath-PCI). Data included demographics, clinical outcomes (procedural success and complication rates), and the indication appropriateness, based on the 2012 appropriate use criteria for revascularization. The overall procedural success and major adverse cardiac event rates of 501 cases with CTO-PCI (10.1%) were 76% and 3.2%, respectively. Based on the criteria, mapping failures occurred in 2,521 procedures; the remaining 2,429 PCIs were successfully mapped. The CTO-PCIs were performed for more appropriate indications than PCIs for lesions without CTO. The rate of inappropriate indications was significantly lower in CTO-PCIs than in non-CTO-PCIs (23.0% vs 31.4%, p = 0.04). Only 17% of CTO-PCIs were directly assigned to CTO-specific scenarios because such scenarios are only intended for “Lone” CTO; the rest of the CTO-PCI cases were secondarily mapped to non-CTO-specific scenarios. In conclusion, as many as 10% of the elective PCIs were performed for CTO lesions in a contemporary multicenter Japanese PCI registry; CTO-PCI was associated with lower procedural success and higher complication rates than non-CTO-PCI. Its indication was relatively appropriate; however, our findings emphasize the need for more rigorous evaluation in terms of the present insufficient CTO-related clinical scenarios.