Survey of Exposure Dose during Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Chronic Total Occlusion

During percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for chronic total occlusion (CTO), longer fluoroscopic time as compared with PCI for non-CTO lesions may cause skin injury by increased radiation. We have performed a multi-center observational study comparing the exposed dose during the PCI of CTO (CTO group) and during the PCI of non-CTO lesions (non-CTO group). Exposure doses were assessed in 313 patients with CTO and 3,310 patients with non-CTO lesions. Total fluoroscopy time (59.0 ±35.5 vs 26.8 ±18.8 min, p<0.0001) and the total air kerma (2.76±2.11 vs 1.27±0.94 Gy, p<0.0001) were significantly greater in the CTO group than in the non-CTO group. The maximum air kerma of the CTO group was 13.62 Gy. Informed consent about the risk of transient depilation and the transient erythema is required for the case with radiation dose over 3 Gy. The frequency of the patient who received radiation >3 Gy was significantly higher in the CTO group as compared with the non-CTO group (34.1% vs 4.9%). Therefore, informed consent before an operation and postoperative follow-up are indispensable for the performed PCI of CTO. Moreover, comprehensive understanding of the exposure dose during operation and to record the final exposure dose may be extremely important for the radiological technologists.