Efficiency of the Guide Extension Catheter-Facilitated Tip-in Technique in the Recanalization of Coronary Chronic Total Occlusion

BACKGROUND: The tip-in technique, which involves advancing an antegrade microcatheter cross the lesion over a retrograde guidewire, is an elaborated maneuver in the recanalization of coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO). We seek to assess the efficiency of a guide extension catheter-facilitated tip-in technique in comparison to the traditional retrograde approach, which is accomplished by an externalization wire. METHODS: Thirty-three CTO patients successfully revascularized using guide extension catheter-facilitated “tip-in” were included and matched with another 33 patients by J-CTO score and operators, whose CTO was recanalized using an externalized wire. The manipulation time from the first retrograde wire entering the antegrade guide to the first antegrade balloon inflation in the occlusion was calculated. RESULTS: Compared with the wire-externalization group, the manipulation time in the tip-in group was significantly shortened [389s; interquartile range (IQR), 272–478 vs 706s; IQR, 560–914; p < 0.001]. There was a trend in decreasing total operation time and radiation dose, but it did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Guide extension catheter-facilitated tip-in is an efficient method to achieve the recanalization of CTO in a retrograde way, which would be pivotal when the retrograde microcatheter could not be advanced into the antegrade guide catheter.