Intravascular Lithotripsy for Calcium Modification in Chronic Total Occlusion Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Anja Øksnes1, Claudia Cosgrove2, Simon Walsh3
1Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
Insights
Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) effectively modified calcium in complex chronic total occlusions (CTO) during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). While complications occurred, IVL showed promise for challenging CTO cases.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Interventional Cardiology
- Medical Devices
Background:
- Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) is established for non-occlusive coronary artery disease (CAD) calcium modification.
- Limited data exists on IVL use in calcified chronic total occlusions (CTO).
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the safety and efficacy of IVL during CTO percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
Main Methods:
- International multicenter registry of 55 CTO PCI procedures using IVL.
- Analysis of procedural success, complications, and clinical outcomes.
- Mean J-CTO score of 3.1, with IVL used primarily after CTO crossing.
Main Results:
- Technical and procedural success rates of 96% and 93%, respectively.
- Six procedural complications (5%), including 3 main vessel perforations.
- Low rates of procedural myocardial infarction (4%) and major adverse cardiovascular events (4%) at follow-up.
Conclusions:
- IVL facilitates calcium modification effectively during CTO PCI.
- Further research is needed to confirm IVL efficacy and safety in CTO, especially with combination therapy.
Abstract:
Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) has been shown to be safe and effective for calcium modification in nonocclusive coronary artery disease (CAD), but there are only case reports of its use in calcified chronic total occlusions (CTO). We report data from an international multicenter registry of IVL use during CTO percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and provide provisional data regarding its efficacy and safety. During the study period, IVL was used in 55 of 1053 (5.2%) CTO PCI procedures. IVL was used within the occluded segment after successful CTO crossing in 53 procedures and during incomplete CTO crossing in 2 cases. The mean J-CTO score was 3.1. CTO PCI technical and procedural success was achieved in 53 (96%) and 51 (93%) cases. Six patients had a procedural complication, with 3 main vessel perforations (5%). Two had covered stent implantation, one required pericardiocentesis, and one was managed conservatively. All had combination therapy with another calcium modification device. Two patients had a procedural myocardial infarction (PMI) (4%), and two others had a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) (4%) at a median follow-up of 13 (4-21) months. IVL can effectively facilitate calcium modification during CTO PCI. More data are required to establish the efficacy and safety of IVL and other calcium modification devices when used extraplaque or in combination during CTO PCI.
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