Table 2 The CTO wire toolbox
From: Theory and practical based approach to chronic total occlusions
Tapered, soft (~1) plastic jacketed GW (XT/XT-A/XTR) |
 ➢ Antegrade/Retrograde microchannel/soft plaque probing |
 ➢ Facilitation of quick wiring Dissection Re-entry in abmbigous vessel anatomy/soft plaque (Knuckle wire technique) |
 ➢ Very small and tortuous collateral chanel crossing epicardial and septal(retrograde access) |
Non-tapered, soft plastic jacketed GW (Fielder FC/Pilot 50/Whisper) |
 ➢ Multi-tasting (Mainly work in the body of the occlusion-getting less fashionable) |
Non tapered, medium gram force plastic jacketed wire (Pilot 150/200) |
 ➢ Body of the occlusion |
 ➢ Facilitation quick wiring in complex lesions and/or dissection-reentry in ambiguous vessel anatomy |
Non-tampered, soft, composite core, hydrophilic coated CW (SION) |
 ➢ Multitasking |
 ➢ Access to difficult take-off collaterals |
 ➢ Crossing of non challenging collaterals channels |
 ➢ Subintinal spaces connection and GC engagement in retrograde techniques (CART/XCART) |
Non-tapered, medium gram force (<6g), non coated, sliding wires (Miracle 3/4.5/6) |
 ➢ Used to be workhorse wires for lesion crossing-tend to be abandoned |
None-tapered, medium gram force (<6g), hydrophilic coated, sliding wires (Miracle Ultimate) |
 ➢ For lesion crossing (body of the occlusion) in hard but not severely calcified plaques and non tortuous anatomy |
Tapered, medium gram (<6g), composite core, hydrophilic coated GW (GAIA family) |
 ➢ Are becoming the workhorse wires for lesion crossing (body of the occlusion) in the hard but not severely calcified plaques even in tortuous anatomy |
 ➢ Subintima space connection in Retrograde techniques |
Tapered and not tapered w-w/o hydrophilic coating, high gram (>9) GW penetration wires (Confianza fm, PROGRESS 200T) |
 ➢ Crossing of severely calcified spots, exchanged to other categories afterwards |