Complications of Chronic Total Occlusion Angioplasty.

Every percutaneous coronary intervention carries risk for acute and long-term complications. This is also true of chronic total occlusion (CTO) interventions, which can also have complications specific to specialized techniques, such as retrograde crossing and dissection/reentry techniques. Acute CTO intervention complications can be coronary artery-related, cardiac noncoronary, or noncardiac. In the long term, CTO interventions can be complicated by in-stent restenosis, stent thrombosis, or coronary aneurysm formation. Understanding of the pathogenesis of possible CTO intervention complications can facilitate prevention, early recognition, and prompt treatment.