@thankful, not sure the technical name but the 100% occluded artery is the one in the back of the heart that runs to the front right. According to the cardiologist, this artery does not really affect the heart muscle, and the collateral blood vessels formed as a result of the occlusion, is supplying adequate, while not optimal, blood to the heart. As such, the cardiologist seems to suggest it should be left alone, since my husband is asymptomatic(no chest pain) doing normal activity. The occlusion, unfortunately, is about 12cm long suggesting that it has been there for quite some time. Surprising because last year during nuclear stress test, the result came back normal. It was the stress test done this year that showed abnormality. Could a 12cm blockage occur within 1 year, or was it there all along and the first nuclear stress test didn't pick it up? Due to the length of the occlusion, cardiologist says it will be a very challenging job to stent the artery and the chance of success is a mere 30%!!! And that is his honest opinion. He is giving me the impression it's almost not worth fixing and it's a valid argument. Except that my husband is also a dialysis patient and he wants to be eligible to get a kidney transplant. Our intention is to list with Mayo in Arizona because the wait list is shorter than California(we live in soCal). To be eligible of transplant listing, the center will require clearance of the heart which means the CTO must be fixed. Sounds like the longer the occlusion, the more complex the procedure. UCLA can do this procedure but they will select certain candidates, mainly the ones with symptoms, which will exclude my husband.
Jim, where did you get treatment for your 100% occluded artery? Was the procedure done at Mayo Clinic in AZ? How big was the occlusion? Are you pleased with the treatment you received? We are looking for a second opinion and was thinking about Mayo Clinic, but I couldn't find anything about treatment for CTO on their website. We are looking for a center that has the technology and expertise to perform Coronary Percutaneous Intervention on CTO. If you have any suggestions, would like to hear your input. Anna