14. What do we know about MDCT AND CTO?
45 patients
Predictor factors of PCI failure
Occlusion length > 15 mm
Blunt stump
Severe calcification (>130 HU affecting >50% wall vessel)
Multivariate analysis the only independent predictor of
procedural success was the absence of severe
calcification
Mollet et al Am J Cardiol. 2005;95(2):240-243.
15. What do we know about MDCT AND CTO?
110 CTO lesions
Morphological parameters analyzed:
Target vessel bending
Shrinkage
Severe calcification (density of calcium >500 HU affecting around 360º of
the wall vessel)
Presence of side branches
Stump morphology
Occlusion length
in-stent restenosis
Independent predictors of failure to cross the occlusion with the wire:
Severe tortuosity: 57% vs 95%, p<0.0001
Shrinkage: 44% vs 88%, p=0.0005
Severe calcification: 71% vs 88%, p=0.0356
Ehara et al . J Invasive Cardiol 2009, 21: 575-582
16. What do we know about MDCT AND CTO?
64 patients 72 CTO , 64 slice MDCT
Procedural success rate: 76%
Calcium parameters analyzed:
Regional calcium volume
Regional calcium score (calcified area x HU (1: 130-190; 2:
200-299;3: 300- 399;4 >400)
Relative calcium area (% calcium area/vessel area) at the
most calcified cross section of CTO
Regional calcium equivalent mass
Total calcium score
Cho et al. Int J Cardiol 2010: 5;14581): 9-14
18. What do we know about MDCT AND CTO?
We performed a MDCT in 69 patients with CTO
Morphological parameters analyzed
Diameter of the proximal and distal patent vessel
Occlusion length
Bending
Presence of side branches
Stump morphology
calcification
Martin et al. Rev Esp Cardiol. 2012 Apr;65(4):334-40.
19. Calcification
Global calcium score
Calcium score of the occluded
segment
Entry point
Middle part
Distal point
Distribution around the
circumference of the
vessel (arc):
Martin et al. Rev Esp Cardiol. 2012 Apr;65(4):334-40.
23. Martin et al. Rev Esp Cardiol. 2012 Apr;65(4):334-40.
24. Conclusions
Calcification is the most important predictor of PCI failure
It is not possible to obtain a complete high quality study in all
patients/lesions analyzed by MDCT
The anatomical information acquired is important but not
determinant in a significant number of patients, so we can not
recommend the routine use of this technique:
Difficult cases
To understand the cause of previously failed cases
In order to establish the correct indications a randomized study
is needed
Notes de l'éditeur
The title of my talk is Non-invasive imaging: applying findings during your PCI. I’ll focus on the role of the multidetector comtuted tomography in planning coronary chronic total occlusion PCI
Percutaneous recanalization of CTO remains a challenge due to its procedural complexity. The inability to cross the occlusion with the wide wire is the most common cause of failure. CT scanning allows non invasive evaluation of the occluded segment. My presentation is divided in two parts:
1. first I ‘ll show you the different anatomical characteristics that can be assessed by a CT scan
2. then we’ll review the scientific evidence of CT scan usefulness on PCI CTO lesions
Which morphological aspects are important for interventional cardiologist? Those typically associated with failure and those that can help us plan a strategy during the revascularization. Normally
Stump morphology
Diameter of the patent vessel and quality of the distal vessel
Occlusion length
Bending
Presence of side branches
Calcification
We’ll see some examples
The measurement of the diameter of the patent vessel is more accurate when using CT Scanning because it’s capable of showing the coronary wall. The true diameter of the vessel is underestimated by angiography due to negative remodeling that usually affects vessels with a CTO
The quality of the distal vessel is also important because it can change an anterograde approach to a retrograde one if there is diffuse distal disease
Sometimes it’s very difficult or even impossible to see the true length of the occluded segment when using angio, a simultaneous injection is needed to see it clearly
But we can overcome this difficulty by using a CT scan, this is the scan of the previous patient, it’s easy to measure the length of the occlusion, it was only 6 mm
here is another example
We can also analyze the tortuousity; which means the bending between the CTO and the patent vessel like in this picture that shows a severe bending between the patent proximal right coronary artery and the CTO body
And also the bending through the course of the CTO body like this example, which is impossible to see on an angio
It’s also relevant to make clear the presence of side branches near the occluded segment. This picture shows 2 branches arising proximally and distally from the occluded segment.
When the CT scan shows a density higher than 120 HU it’s accepted there is a significant amount of calcium in the plaque .The Quantification of calcium in cto is determinant because it’s associated with PCI failure. This is an example of a relatively soft plaque ,
This one is harder, especially in the middle part where it reaches 400 HU
now we’ll begin with the second part of the speech: what has been publish on CT scanning?
I ‘ll focus only on the studies on true cto using the European consensus definition:
a cto must last more than 3 months and the flow must be TIMI 0
Mollet published the first study on CT scanning and CTO: looking for the Value of preprocedure CT scanning to predict the outcome of PCI CTO.
They included 45 patients with cto
Predictor factors of PCI failure were the three you can see, but in the Multivariate analysis the only independent predictor of procedural success was the absence of severe calcification
The study by Ehara was the first in which only CTO experts operators were accepted to conduct the trial, which means they have done more than 100 procedures and mastered retrograde approach
110 CTO lesions were analized
The main Morphological parameters analyzed are listed
The independent predictors of failure were:
Severe tortuosity
Negative remodeling
Severe calcification:
in the multivariate analysis the same factors remained significant
A few years later Cho published a study that focuses on calcium detection and its quantification
It included 64 patients
The analysis of calcium was quite complex, here you can see all the elements analyzed
The occlusion was longer in the PCI-failure group than in the PCI-success group
The total calcium scores (“Agatston score”) were higher in the failure group but without statistical significance
Regional calcium-related parameters were higher in the PCI failure group.
Multivariate regression analysis showed that only relative calcium area was a significant
determinant of PCI failure
It was the first report to demonstrate an association between quantitatively measured
calcium content in CTO lesions and procedural success rate
In 2012 we published our experience. The aim of our study was to assess the value of CT scanning to predict the success of guidewire crossing in PCI CTO and then to help us better select patients more prone to success.
We included 69 patients with 77 cto
The morphological parameters analyzed were the most common used. We paid special attention to calcium distribution
Here’s how the calcium was analyzed:
1 we analyzed the global calcium score on the coronary tree
2 the density of calcium at the entry point , the middle and the distal part of the cto
3 And the distribution of calcium around the wall of the occluded segment: we categorized the information as follows:
0.25.50.75.and.100%
here is one example of that
Using anterograde approach the success rate was 62%
Two experts blind to the coronary angiography analyzed the CT images
I don’t want you to read that really!
The main results of the CT are the following:
1 the first thing I would like to highlight is that we are not able to obtain a perfect study in all our patients, some data is missing because of technical issues
2 classical determinant factors of failure as length of the occlusion, blunt stump, presence of side branches…. Did not reach statistical significance in our study
3 failed patients had their arteries more calcified than successful ones but this data does not reach statistical significance
entry point is harder than the middle or the distal portion of CTO but does
not affect success rate
only the presence of calcium affecting more than the 50% of the circumference of the occluded
vessel at the entry point and in the middle part of the cto body are significantly associated with failure of the procedure
in the multivariate analysis the only parameter statistically significant was the arc of calcium in the middle part affecting more than 50% of the circumference of the vessel
To conclude
1. Calcification is the most important predictor of PCI failure but even though density of calcium is relevant the most determinant factor is the calcium distribution around the wall vessel and MDCT is the technology with the highest sensitivity and specificity to analyze that feature
2. But On the other hand we have to keep in mind that it is not possible to obtain a complete high quality study in all patients/lesions analyzed by MDCT
3. Although the anatomical information acquired is important, it is not determinant in a significant number of patients, so we cannot recommend the routine use of this technique:
I use it mainly on:
Difficult cases: that means patients with previous CABG (for me one of the most difficult) or
those with unfavorable anatomic characteristics
2 .Previous failed cases when I can’t figure out the failure mechanisms