Reducing radiation in chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary interventions.

The field of percutaneous intervention for chronic total occlusion (CTO) has enjoyed significant innovations in the recent years. Novel techniques and technologies have revolutionized the field and have resulted in considerably higher success rates even in patients with high anatomical complexity. Successful CTO recanalization is associated with significant clinical benefits, such as the improvement of angina and quality of life, reduced rates of surgical revascularization, improvement of left ventricular function and decreased mortality rates. However, complex CTO procedures often require prolonged x-ray exposure which have been associated with adverse long term outcomes.