Angioplasty of the Completely Occluded Coronary Vessel.

Over the past 12 years, the development and widespread use of new interventional techniques has widened the indications for the use of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in the treatment of totally occluded coronary arteries. In the early reports of the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Registry investigators recommended that angioplasty should not be attempted in coronary total occlusions. However, with improvements in operator skills, advanced catheter technology, and most notably, with the development of steerable guidewire systems, angioplasty is now being used to treat totally occluded arteries in an increasing number of patients.