Comparison of angiographic and clinical outcomes of coronary stenting of chronic total occlusions versus subtotal occlusions

The objective of this study was to assess the short- and long-term outcome of patients undergoing coronary stenting for chronic total occlusions compared with a control patient population with nonocclusive stenoses. A total of 789 consecutive patients (1,043 lesions) underwent coronary stenting using a high-pressure stent optimization technique. The study population was divided into total occlusion group (94 consecutive patients [95 lesions] with chronic total occlusions) and subtotal occlusion group (695 consecutive patients [948 lesions] with nonocclusive stenoses). There was no difference in post-procedure angiographic minimum lumen diameter (3.13 ± 0.48 vs 3.15 ± 0.57 mm, p = 0.72) and minimum intrastent cross-sectional area by intravascular ultrasound (7.31 ± 2.06 vs 7.64 ± 2.53 mm², p = 0.26) between the total and subtotal groups, respectively. Subacute thrombosis occurred in 2 patients (2.1%) in the total group compared with 9 patients (1.3%) in the subtotal group (p = 0.63). Angiographic restenosis occurred in 27% vs 22% (p = 0.40) and repeat angioplasty in 15% vs 13% (p= 0.62) in the total and subtotal groups, respectively. Thus, coronary stenting of chronic total occlusions after successful recanalization could be performed with a high success rate. In addition, the incidence of stent thrombosis, angiographic restenosis, and the need for target lesion revascularization is comparable to that of an unselected cohort of patients with nonocclusive stenoses.