Retrograde Recanalization of Chronic Total Occlusions in Europe: Procedural, In-Hospital, and Long-Term Outcomes From the Multicenter ERCTO Registry.

BACKGROUND A retrograde approach improves the success rate of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) for chronic total occlusions (CTOs). OBJECTIVES The authors describe the European experience with and outcomes of retrograde PCI revascularization for coronary CTOs. METHODS Follow-up data were collected from 1,395 patients with 1,582 CTO lesions enrolled between January 2008 and December 2012 for retrograde CTO PCI at 44 European centers. Major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events were defined as the composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and further revascularization. RESULTS The mean patient age was 62.0 +/- 10.4 years; 88.5% were men. Procedural and clinical…