Chronic total occlusions (CTO) are common, and found in approximately one third of patients with significant coronary artery disease who undergo angiography. CTO constitute one of the main criteria when selecting between angioplasty and bypass surgery. Angioplasty for CTO is intricate and requires excellent operator skill, but even when performed under the best circumstances, it is plagued by lower success rates when compared to non-total occlusions. The main difficulty with CTO lies not with choosing which stent to use, but rather occurs during earlier steps of crossing the lesion and advancing the wire into the true lumen of the distal vessel. Having accomplished this, the rates of restenosis are prohibitively high. Mehran, Dangas and an international team of experienced operators offer the reader sound advice on the evaluation and management of CTO in both the coronary and peripheral vascular systems. Their practical guidance should aid all those working with this difficult subset of patients.

While all interventional cardiologists have access to pharmacopeial texts and databases and are aware of the growing number of pharmacological agents in the armamentarium, questions arise as to the ideal agent or combination of agents in differing patient situations.
This superb text offers the reader coverage of all the major pharmacological therapies used in treating the cath lab patient from the practical, personal perspective of those actively involved in interventional cardiology.

While all interventional cardiologists have access to pharmacopeial texts and databases and are aware of the growing number of pharmacological agents in the armamentarium, questions arise as to the ideal agent or combination of agents in differing patient situations. This superb text offers the reader coverage of all the major pharmacological therapies used in treating the cath lab patient from the practical, personal perspective of those actively involved in interventional cardiology.

Chronic total occlusions (CTO) are common, and found in approximately one third of patients with significant coronary artery disease who undergo angiography. CTO constitute one of the main criteria when selecting between angioplasty and bypass surgery. Angioplasty for CTO is intricate and requires excellent operator skill, but even when performed under the best circumstances, it is plagued by lower success rates when compared to non-total occlusions. The main difficulty with CTO lies not with choosing which stent to use, but rather occurs during earlier steps of crossing the lesion and advancing the wire into the true lumen of the distal vessel. Having accomplished this, the rates of restenosis are prohibitively high. Mehran, Dangas and an international team of experienced operators offer the reader sound advice on the evaluation and management of CTO in both the coronary and peripheral vascular systems. Their practical guidance should aid all those working with this difficult subset of patients.