Use of Subintimal Tracking and Re-entry Technique as a Bailout After Coronary Dissection

Abstract

Subintimal tracking and re-entry (STAR), a technique initially described by Colombo et al,1 is performed by rapidly advancing a polymer-jacketed guidewire through the occlusion segment of a chronic total occlusion (CTO) until it is forced back into the true lumen, often at a branch point. It is occasionally used during CTO intervention as a bailout technique but could also be useful during emergency situations such as iatrogenic vessel dissection. Herein, we report 2 cases where STAR was used as a bailout.