About Coronary Chronic Total Occlusions
Complete coronary artery blockages occur in about 5-20% of patients who have coronary artery disease. These complete blockages have usually been present for a long period of time and are known as chronic total occlusions (CTO).
The complex characteristics of these blockages make treating them a challenge. The minimally invasive options for treating them were historically limited, with low success and high complication rates. As a result, patients were often advised to have open heart surgery or be treated with medications alone if surgery was considered of high risk. Unfortunately, this continues to happen. As a result, many patients remain with symptoms that limit activities of daily living, ultimately having a significant impact in their quality of life.
In recent years, the development of new percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) techniques and equipment have resulted in new options to safely and successfully open CTOs. Nonetheless, a limited number of centers in Canada have a specialized team with dedicated training that can perform these techniques.
The Interventional Cardiology group at London Health Sciences Centre offers a highly advanced, dynamic and innovative approach to treat patients with CTOs under the Chronic Total Occlusion Revascularization Program.
Team:
Contact Information and Location:
Ms. Jaselyn Beckman – Assistant to Dr. Luiz F. Ybarra
Telephone: 519-663-3032
Fax: 519-663-3114
Ms. Carolyn Irving – Assistant to Dr. Rodrigo Bagur
Telephone: 519-663-3997
Fax: 519-434-3278
The Interventional Cardiology Service is located at University Hospital. Please see our Maps and Directions page for the entrance to the hospital and parking.
