Optical coherence tomography follow-up of the subintimal tracking and re-entry technique for chronic total occlusion

A 44-year-old man, a smoker with dyslipidaemia, underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of a chronic total occlusion in the right coronary artery (RCA). The site of occlusion was very proximal. An attempt to cross the lesion was performed using an antegrade approach, during which dissection of the ostium occurred and the guidewire entered the false lumen. The ostial dissection was treated with stent implantation of a Xience, 3.5 x 18 mm (Abbott Vascular, Redwood City, CA, USA). The STAR technique with proximal antegrade subintimal dissection and distal re-entry into true lumen of the posterolateral (PL) branch was then performed1. The bifurcation ...