Technical and procedural outcomes of the retrograde approach to chronic total occlusion interventions

AIMS The retrograde approach is critical for achieving high success rates in chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), but has been associated with higher risk of complications. We examined the contemporary outcomes of the retrograde approach to CTO PCI aiming to identify areas in need of improvement. METHODS AND RESULTS We compared the technical and procedural outcomes of retrograde (n=1,515) and antegrade-only CTO PCIs (n=2,686) in a contemporary multicentre CTO registry. The mean age of patients undergoing retrograde PCI was 65±10 years and 86% were men, with high prevalence of prior myocardial infarction (51%), prior PCI (71%), and coronary artery bypass graft surgery (45%). The mean J-CTO score (3±1 vs 2±1, p