The Role of Retrograde Crossing in Short Coronary Chronic Total Occlusions

Since its first description in 19901 the retrograde approach has transformed chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) 2-4 and has been instrumental in achieving high success rates, especially in complex occlusions.5-7 However, the retrograde approach requires dedicated expertise and has been consistently associated with higher risk of complications compared with antegrade only CTO crossing.5 As a result, several algorithms have been proposed about when and how to use the retrograde approach, either as the initial crossing strategy (primary retrograde crossing) or after failure of antegrade crossing.
Source: The American Journal of Cardiology - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Editorial Source Type: research