Impact of occlusion duration on the success rate and outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention in chronic total occlusions

ABSTRACTBackgroundInitial studies have shown that old occlusions or those with indeterminate occlusion duration have been associated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) failure and a worse prognosis. This study aimed to determine the impact of occlusion duration on the success and outcomes of contemporary PCI on chronic total occlusion (CTO).MethodsThe authors analyzed a retrospective cohort of consecutive patients submitted to PCI in CTO, who were compared according to the confirmed occlusion duration (COD) < 12 months, ≥ 12 months, or indeterminate occlusion duration (IOD).ResultsA total of 168 patients were treated, 122 (72.6%) with COD (80 < 12 months, 42 ≥ 12 months) and 46 (24.7%) with an IOD. Lesion extension was 17.0 ± 13.6mm, in 2.90 ± 0.58mm vessels, and the anterograde approach was used in 98.8% of cases. Angiographic success was attained in 79.2% of patients (80.0% vs. 73.8% vs. 82.6%; p = 0.73). The main cause of failure was the inability to cross the lesion with the guidewire (68.6%). Occlusion duration had no impact on in-hospital events (4.8% vs. 7.1% vs. 6.0%; p = 0.73), which were almost entirely explained by periprocedural myocardial infarction, or on late outcomes (18.8% vs. 7.1% vs. 15.3%; p = 0.23). At the multivariate analysis, lesion length ≥ 20mm (odds ratio - OR = 7.27; 95% confidence interval - 95% IC 1.94-29.1; p = 0.003), calcification (OR = 4.72; 95% CI 1.19-19.1; p = 0.02), and tortuosity of the occluded segment (OR = 15.98; 95% CI 2.18-144.7; p = 0.007) were predictors of failure.ConclusionsOcclusion duration was not associated with increased failure rate of the procedure or worse PCI outcomes in CTO

Vascular response after implantation of biolimus A9-eluting stent with bioabsorbable polymer and everolimus-eluting stents with durable polymer. Results of the optical coherence tomography analysis of the BIOACTIVE randomized trial

AbstractBackgroundIn BIOACTIVE study, we evaluated vascular responses after the implant of biolimus A9-eluting stent (BES; BioMatrixTM) and the everolimus-eluting stent (EES; XIENCE VTM). In this study, we present the optical coherence tomography analysis (OCT) 6 months post-intervention.MethodsPatients were randomized to treatment with BES (n = 22) or EES (n = 18). The primary outcome was the frequency of non-covered, poorly positioned struts by OCT.ResultsOCT was performed in 26 patients (BES: n = 15; EES: n = 11) and 749 tomographic images and 7,725 stent struts were analyzed. BES and EES showed similar luminal and stent areas. Neointimal hyperplasia area, neointimal thickness and the percentage of in-stent obstruction (8.44 ± 5.10% vs. 9.21 ± 6.36%; p = 0.74) were similar. The rates of not covered struts (BES: 2.10 ± 3.60% vs. ESS: 2.46 ± 2.15%, p = 0.77) and poorly positioned struts (BES: 0.48 ± 1.48% vs. EES 0.44 ± 1.05%, p = 0.94) were similarly low. The frequency of frames with signs consistent with peri-strut inflammatory infiltrate was low and similar between BES (15.53 ± 20.77%) and EES (11.70 ± 27.51%; p = 0.68).ConclusionsThe second-generation drug-eluting stents BES and EES were equally effective at suppressing the neointimal formation after 6 months, with favorable vascular responses. The frequency of frames with peri-strut infiltrate signals per patient was low, and lower than that observed historically with first-generation drug-eluting stents

Optical Coherence Tomography and Fibrous Cap Characterization

The pathophysiology of acute coronary syndromes has long been associated with atherosclerotic plaque rupture. Inflammation, thinning, and disruption of the fibrous cap have been implicated with the final processes leading to plaque rupture, but confirmation of these mechanisms of coronary thrombosis in humans has been hampered by the lack of imaging methods with sufficient resolution to resolve fibrous cap characterization and thickness in vivo. Intravascular optical coherence tomography (OCT) provides images with micron-level axial and lateral resolution, enabling detailed visualization of micro-structural changes of the arterial wall. The present article provides an overview of the potential role of OCT in identifying and characterizing fibrous cap morphology, thickness, and inflammation in human coronary plaques