Aims: We investigated the impact of the J-CTO score, a pre-procedural risk score for successful guidewire crossing within 30 minutes through chronic total occlusion (CTO) lesions, on procedural and midterm clinical outcomes in terms of target lesion revascularisation (TLR) after CTO recanalisation.
Methods and results: The primary endpoint of this substudy was midterm TLR. The net midterm success rate was calculated by multiplying the lesion success rate by the TLR-free survival rate. The initial lesion success rates according to the J-CTO score categories of 0, 1, 2, and ≥3 were 97.0%, 92.1%, 86.5%, and 73.6%, respectively (p<0.001). The TLR rates at one year according to the J-CTO score categories of 0, 1, 2, and ≥3 were 5.3%, 11.1%, 16.7%, and 13.4%, respectively (p=0.082). The net midterm success rates according to the J-CTO score categories of 0, 1, 2, and ≥3 were 91.9%, 81.9%, 72.1%, and 63.7%, respectively (p<0.001).
Conclusions: Patients with CTO lesions with lower J-CTO scores are expected to achieve a high procedural success rate and an increased TLR-free survival rate. Patients with high J-CTO scores still remain an issue.