Computed Tomography Angiography Prediction Score for Side Branch Occlusion

Computed Tomography Angiography Prediction Score for Side Branch Occlusion in Coronary Bifurcation Intervention (CT-PRECISION)

Lesions involving coronary bifurcations account for approximately 20% of all percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Revascularization within bifurcation sites remains technically challenging. While the most optimal interventional treatment strategy for bifurcation lesions is still debatable, side branch (SB) occlusion is one of the most serious procedural complications with prevalence rates over 7%.

Numerous mechanisms of the SB occlusion (e.g. plaque or carina shift, coronary artery dissection, thromboembolism, coronary artery spasm, etc) have been postulated. Regardless of the cause, loss of the SB is associated with increased risk of periprocedural mortality and myocardial infarction. Therefore, PCI involving coronary bifurcation mandates consideration of the risk of SB compromise. The CT-PRECISION (Computed Tomography angiography PREdiCtIon score for SIde branch Occlusion in coronary bifurcation interventioN) registry was designed to evaluate the application of coronary computed tomography angiography (coronary CTA) for the prediction of SB occlusion during percutaneous revascularization of bifurcation lesions. The main purpose of this single-center study is to develop a noninvasive CTA-based prediction tool to determine the procedural outcome of PCI in bifurcation lesions.

Coronary CTA allows for precise and noninvasive evaluation of coronary bifurcation lesions. Pre-procedural planning for coronary revascularization using CTA provides detailed characterization of bifurcation anatomy and morphology including the spatial distribution of coronary plaque. To date there has been no compiled CTA-based prediction model for SB occlusion in coronary bifurcation intervention.

The CT-PRECISION registry is a retrospective observational cohort study of patients undergoing preprocedural coronary CTA before PCI involving coronary bifurcation lesions between January 2010 and July 2018. The study is designed to enroll 400 consecutive patients undergoing elective main vessel stenting with a provisional approach to the SB at a single high-volume PCI center.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients referred for attempted PCI of a bifurcation lesion with a significant SB as part of their standard of care
• Initial stenting of the main branch with a provisional approach to the SB
• Performance of dual-source coronary CTA within 30 days before attempted PCI

Exclusion Criteria:

• Age <18 years