ISCHEMIA-CTO Trial - Revascularisation or Optimal Medical Therapy of CTO

NCT ID: NCT03563417

Last Updated: 2026-01-02

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

1560 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2018-11-06

Study Completion Date

2032-11-01

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

Study design

Prospective randomized open labeled multicenter study

Hypotheses

1. In asymptomatic patients with ≥ 10% of myocardial ischemia: PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) with latest generation of drug eluting stents is superior to optimal medical therapy in terms of relative reduction in MACCE (Major Adverse Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular events).
2. In symptomatic patients with ≥ 5% of myocardial ischemia: PCI with latest generation of drug eluting stents is superior to optimal medical therapy (OMT) in terms of improved life quality measured as an increase of SAQ (Self Assessment Questionnaire) score of 8 points after 6 months.

Inclusion Criteria

* CTO in native coronary artery
* Myocardial ischemia in a territory supplied by CTO assessed by nuclear imaging.
* Age ≥18 yrs.
* Able to provide written Informed consent and willing to comply with the specified follow-up contacts
* Target artery ≥ 2.5 mm

Prior to randomization all patients undergo 3 months of OMT. Subsequently the population will be divided into:

Cohort A: Asymptomatic (CCS \< 2 and SAQ QoL \> 60) patients with myocardial ischemia (≥ 10% of LV) in a territory supplied by CTO

Cohort B: Symptomatic patients (CCS class ≥ 2 and/or SAQ QoL score ≤ 60 after treating non CTO lesions and after OMT) with Myocardial ischemia (5% of LV) in a territory supplied a CTO

Cohort C: patients enrolled but not randomized in cohort A or B

Exclusion criteria (for both cohort A and B)

* NSTEMI or STEMI within 1 month
* Coronary anatomy not suitable for CTO-procedure
* Coronary artery disease involving the left main/three-vessel disease with indication for CABG following heart team conference
* Life expectancy \< 2 years
* Severe chronic pulmonary disease (FEV1 \< 30 % of predicted value)
* Contraindication to dual anti-platelet therapy
* Pregnancy
* eGFR \< 30 mL/min/1.73 m2
* In multi-vessel disease: if it is deemed unsafe to treat the non-CTO lesion first.
* Severe valvular heart disease

Primary endpoint

Cohort A: Composite endpoint of MACCE (all-cause mortality, stroke, any myocardial infarction, clinically driven revascularization\*), hospitalization for heart failure or incidence of malignant arrhythmias.

\*CCS class ≥ 2 and/or QoL score \< 60. Same criteria used as for allocation to Cohort B

Cohort B: SAQ Quality of Life Assessment after 6 months.

Number of patients

1,560 (1200 in cohort A/360 in cohort B

Follow up time

Cohort A: 5 years Cohort B: 6 months

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

A chronic total occlusion (CTO) is observed in up to (1) 30 % of patients undergoing diagnostic coronary angiography. The presence of a CTO is associated with worse outcome compared to non-occlusive coronary artery disease.

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) treatment of CTO lesions has gained much attention over the last decade due to introduction of new techniques and devices resulting in high success rates in dedicated centers. However the scientific evidence is mainly based on observational studies and expert consensus. The current European and American guidelines on revascularization does not provide any clear recommendations how to manage patients with CTO.

The indication of treating a CTO lesion, or any other lesion with PCI for that matter, is either to relieve symptoms or improve prognosis. However, to date, there are no randomized clinical trials showing any prognostic benefit from CTO revascularization. Data from randomized clinical trials are also scarce regarding improvement of symptoms and Quality of life (QoL). In the recently presented DECISION-CTO study, patients were randomized to PCI vs. OMT, and the study failed to demonstrate a prognostic or symptomatic benefit of PCI vs. OMT. However, the study was prematurely terminated due to slow inclusion rate and had a high crossover rate and a high proportion did not have a quality of life score at follow-up. The fact that both the Decision CTO and the Euro CTO trial failed to include the pre-specified number of patients, makes it difficult to draw any conclusions on how to treat these patients. The preliminary results from both trials indicate that CTO PCI seems to be a safe procedure and might improve symptoms and QoL. In the randomized EXPLORE trial, patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)and a concomitant CTO in a non infarct related artery was investigated. This study showed no benefit in terms of improving left ventricular function due to CTO-PCI of the concomitant CTO, although the procedure was safe.

Meta-analysis of observational studies comparing the prognosis after successful vs. unsuccessful CTO PCI indicate prognostic and symptomatic benefit of successful CTO PCI. However, these studies often lack data regarding ischemia burden and viability. The fact that the non-successful PCI patients consistently in these studies have higher risk profile, indicating the presence of residual confounders not accounted for in the multivariate statistical models, makes the interpretation of these data in a clinical setting difficult. The non-randomized FACTOR trial demonstrated a positive outcome for quality of life, but only in symptomatic patients. Data from the OPEN-CTO registry demonstrated an improvement of the Seattle Angina Questionnaire for quality of life by 10.8 points after a successful CTO-procedure. In addition to symptomatic improvement, a successful CTO procedure can reduce the amount of myocardium susceptible to ischemia in patients with at least mild to moderate ischemia at baseline and by that the prognosis can be improved (mortality, myocardial infarction, ventricular arrhythmias).

Hence, the interventional management of CTO lesions must address whether it is indicated on symptomatic and/or prognostic basis. These questions have not been sufficiently addressed in the previous trials and we need evidence from randomized clinical trials on how to treat these patients. We therefore designed this randomized clinical trial addressing the impact of CTO PCI on outcome. Patients are included in 2 different patient cohorts depending on level of symptoms and level of myocardial ischemia. From previous studies, we know that it is most probably only patients with at least moderate myocardial ischemia who will benefit from CTO PCI in terms of improving MACCE, and only symptomatic patients who will benefit with regard to improvement of quality of life following CTO PCI.

Before entering the study all patients will be subject to a 3-month period with titration of optimal medical therapy. Hereafter the patients will be eligible for inclusion in one of two cohorts based on level of ischemia and presence of symptoms:

Cohort A: Comprise CTO patients who are asymptomatic (CCS class \<2 and SAQ QoL\> 60) but have moderate myocardial ischemia (\>10% of the left ventricle) on MR or rubidium-PET. These patients will be randomized to CTO PCI or OMT and followed up to 10 years.

Cohort B: Comprise symptomatic CTO patients (CCS class ≥ 2 and/or SAQ QoL score ≤ 60) with at least 5% reversible ischemia. These patients will be randomized to CTO PCI or OMT. The patients randomized to OMT will be offered CTO PCI procedure 6 months after randomization following assessment of Seattle Angina Questionnaire quality of life score.

Cohort C - Patients enrolled but not eligible for randomization All patients enrolled at baseline but who do not meet the criteria described in cohort A and B for randomization. Registry based follow-up (optional) is performed at the same time points as in Cohort A.

This is the first randomized study that addresses improvement of prognosis and quality of life following PCI of CTO lesions specifically.

The purpose of this study is twofold:

1. Investigate the outcome of PCI vs. optimal medical therapy of CTO lesions in patients with significant myocardial ischemia (≥ 10%) without symptoms
2. Investigate the outcome of PCI vs. optimal medical therapy of CTO lesions in patients with symptoms and mild to moderate myocardial ischemia (≥5%).

Hypotheses

1. In asymptomatic patients with ≥ 10% of myocardial ischemia: PCI with latest generation of drug eluting stents is superior to optimal medical therapy in terms of outcome measured as 30% relative reduction in Major Adverse Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular events (MACCE).
2. In symptomatic patients with ≥ 5% of myocardial ischemia: PCI with latest generation of drug eluting stents is superior to optimal medical therapy in terms of improved life quality measured as an increase of SAQ score of 8 points after 6 months.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Ischemic Heart Disease Chronic Total Occlusion of Coronary Artery

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

PCI

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Percuteneous Coronary Intervention

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

PCI of Chronic Total Occlusions

OMT

Group Type OTHER

Optimal Medical Therapy

Intervention Type OTHER

Initiation and titration of optimal medical therapy in the control arm.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Percuteneous Coronary Intervention

PCI of Chronic Total Occlusions

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Optimal Medical Therapy

Initiation and titration of optimal medical therapy in the control arm.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* CTO in native coronary artery
* Myocardial ischemia in a territory supplied by CTO assessed by nuclear imaging.
* Age ≥18 yrs.
* Able to provide written informed consent and willing to comply with the specified follow-up contacts.
* Target artery ≥ 2.5 mm

Prior to randomization all patients undergo 3 months of OMT. Subsequently the population will be divided into:

Cohort A: Asymptomatic (CCS \< 2 and SAQ QoL \> 60) patients with myocardial ischemia (≥ 10% of LV) in a territory supplied by CTO

Cohort B: Symptomatic patients (CCS class ≥ 2 and/or SAQ QoL score ≤ 60 after treating non CTO lesions and after OMT) with Myocardial ischemia (5% of LV) in a territory supplied a CTO assess by nuclear imaging.

Cohort C: Screening population not eligible for randomization in cohort A or B

Exclusion Criteria

* NSTEMI or STEMI within 1 month
* Coronary anatomy not suitable for CTO-procedure
* Coronary disease involving the left main/three vessel disease with indication for CABG following heart team conference.
* Life expectancy \< 2 years
* Severe chronic pulmonary disease (FEV1 \< 30 % of predicted value)
* Contraindication to dual anti-platelet therapy
* Pregnancy
* eGFR \< 30 mL/min/1.73 m2
* In multi-vessel disease: if it is deemed unsafe to treat the non-CTO lesion first.
* Severe valvular heart disease
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Aarhus University Hospital Skejby

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Evald Hoej Christiansen

Consultant MD PhD

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Evald Christiansen, MD PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Aarhus University Hospital

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Aarhus University Hospital

Aarhus N, , Denmark

Site Status RECRUITING

Rigshospitalet

Copenhagen, , Denmark

Site Status RECRUITING

Gentofte Hospital

Hellerup, , Denmark

Site Status RECRUITING

Odense University Hospital

Odense, , Denmark

Site Status RECRUITING

Zealand University Hospital

Roskilde, , Denmark

Site Status RECRUITING

North-Estonia Medical Centre

Tallinn, , Estonia

Site Status RECRUITING

Helsinki University Central Hospital

Helsinki, , Finland

Site Status ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Kuopio University Hospital

Kuopio, , Finland

Site Status ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Heart Hospital Tampere

Tampere, , Finland

Site Status RECRUITING

Turku University Hospital

Turku, , Finland

Site Status RECRUITING

Clinique Louis Pasteur

Essey-lès-Nancy, , France

Site Status ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Cardiovascular Institute, Groupe Hospitalier Mutualiste

Grenoble, , France

Site Status RECRUITING

Hospital Germans Trias I Pujol

Badalona, Barcelona, Spain

Site Status ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Hospital Galdakao

Galdakao, Bizkaia, Spain

Site Status RECRUITING

Hospital Vall de Hebron

Barcelona, , Spain

Site Status ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Hospital Clinic

Barcelona, , Spain

Site Status RECRUITING

Hospital de Bellvitge

Barcelona, , Spain

Site Status ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Hospital Universitario Clinico San Carlos

Madrid, , Spain

Site Status RECRUITING

Hospital la Paz

Madrid, , Spain

Site Status ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Hospital Universitari de Tarragona Joan XXIII

Tarragona, , Spain

Site Status RECRUITING

Sahlgrenska University Hospital

Gothenburg, , Sweden

Site Status RECRUITING

Skaane University Hospital (Lund)

Lund, , Sweden

Site Status ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Stockholm South Central Hospital (Södersjukhuset)

Stockholm, , Sweden

Site Status ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Department of Cardiology

Belfast, , United Kingdom

Site Status ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

University Hospital Bristol

Bristol, , United Kingdom

Site Status ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Barts Health NHS

London, , United Kingdom

Site Status ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

St George's University Hospital

London, , United Kingdom

Site Status ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

Denmark Estonia Finland France Spain Sweden United Kingdom

Central Contacts

Reach out to these primary contacts for questions about participation or study logistics.

Evald Christiansen, MD PhD

Role: CONTACT

+45 78452028

Emil N Holck, MD

Role: CONTACT

+45 31419472

Facility Contacts

Find local site contact details for specific facilities participating in the trial.

Evald H Christiansen, MD

Role: primary

+45 61655176

Emil N Holck, MD

Role: backup

Hans Henrik TIlsted, MD

Role: primary

Niels Thue Olsen, MD

Role: primary

Karsten Veien, MD

Role: primary

Ole Havndrup, MD

Role: primary

Peep Laanmets, MD

Role: primary

Olli Kajander, MD

Role: primary

Tuomas Kiviniemi, MD

Role: primary

Benjamin Faurie, MD

Role: primary

José R Rumoroso, MD

Role: primary

Ander Regueiro, MD

Role: primary

Javier Escaned, MD

Role: primary

Mohsen Mohandes, MD

Role: primary

Dan Iones, MD

Role: primary

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Rinfret S, Sandesara PB. Reducing Ischemia With CTO PCI: Good News, But Questions Remain. JACC Cardiovasc Interv. 2021 Jul 12;14(13):1419-1422. doi: 10.1016/j.jcin.2021.05.028. No abstract available.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 34238552 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

ISCHEMIA-CTO Trial

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.

Remote Ischemic Preconditioning in Primary PCI
NCT00435266 COMPLETED PHASE2/PHASE3