Successful treatment of chronic total peripheral occlusions that failed conventional techniques using the stiff backend of the Glidewire.

The vast majority of failures of transcatheter interventions in patients with peripheral vascular disease are due to inability to cross the lesion with a guidewire. Although the use of the Glidewire has clearly improved the success rate, failures with especially chronic total occlusions still occur. We describe a new technique using the very stiff backend of the Glidewire, which we have found very successful, when conventional techniques fall in crossing highly resistant lesions.