Angioplasty has rapidly become the preferred mode of revascularization for a large spectrum of coronary blockages thanks to the high success rates, low chances of complications and effective results.
Chronic Total Occlusions (CTO) means completely blocked coronary arteries with blocks that persist for more than 3 months. This subset of coronary artery disease is extremely difficult to tackle with angioplasty and is often referred to as the “last frontier of coronary interventions”.
Lately, certain Japanese innovations in technique and technology have enabled increased success rates when it comes to handling these complex cases. Retrograde angioplasty has become a refined technique that is being increasingly adopted successfully in complex cases.
Dr. Atsunori Okamura from Osaka, a leading Interventional Cardiologist from Japan has done pioneering work in CTO angioplasty. His concepts on 3D wiring in CTO angioplasty are distinct and advanced.
The Centre of Excellence in Cardiac Sciences at Aster Medcity hosted a CTO Angioplasty Workshop by Dr. Okamura, for the fifth time, on 20th September 2017, in association with Ms Terumo Ltd. During the workshop, Dr. Okamura performed successful angioplasties for complex CTO lesions in two patients, both of whom had developed complex blockages after bypass surgery.
He was assisted in the procedures by the team of interventional cardiologists at Aster Medcity including Dr. Raja Sekhar Varma, Dr. Sunil Shivdas and Dr. Faeez Mohamad Ali. The complex procedures were performed in the ultra low radiation cathlabs of Aster and went on for more than 10 hours. Detailed discussions on novel techniques and hardware (new guidewires, balloons, microcatheters etc.) were also held.
Dr. Atsunori Okamura was welcomed by Dr. Anil Kumar R, Lead Senior Consultant, Aster Centre of Excellence in Cardiac Sciences, in the presence of Mrs. Santy Sajan, COO, Aster Medcity. Felicitations were offered by Dr. Raja Sekhar Varma and Dr Sunil Shivdas. Dr Okamura spoke about the importance of translating the advances in CTO angioplasty into clinical practice. Dr Praveen Sreekumar delivered the vote of thanks.
