Transcatheter recanalization of chronic total occlusion in congenital heart disease: case reports and lessons from percutaneous coronary interventions

BACKGROUND: Chronic complete vascular occlusion causes significant morbidity and mortality in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). The diversity of lesions, lack of dedicated equipment, and small number of procedures performed by individual operator continue to pose a challenge to congenital interventional cardiologists. CASE SUMMARY: We report two cases of percutaneous recanalization in CHD using percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) equipment for chronic total occlusion (CTO). DISCUSSION: Careful pre-procedural planning, access site choice, use of catheter guiding systems for support, and selection of penetrating guidewires and techniques used in CTO-PCIs are key steps to a successful outcome.