On Friday 6 September at 13:30, Emil Nielsen Holck defends his PhD dissertation entitled "Percutaneous Coronary Interventions for Chronic Total Occluded Coronary Arteries".

A new PhD thesis from Aarhus University investigates the treatment of a severe form of atherosclerosis in the heart, where one of the coronary arteries is completely blocked. This condition, known as chronic total occlusion (CTO), makes treatment more challenging, and it is uncertain whether the standard treatment with balloon angioplasty and stent placement is effective for these patients.

What is the research about? The research examined whether patients with CTO who have undergone balloon angioplasty have the same long-term prognosis as patients without CTO. Additionally, the study investigated whether it matters which coronary artery is treated and whether the treatment is cost-effective.

How was the research conducted? Two of the studies followed over 21,000 patients in the Central Denmark Region who were treated from 2009 to 2019, comparing the outcomes for those with and without CTO. The cost-effectiveness was analyzed with the help of both international and national registries. Finally, the results were used to design a randomized controlled trial that currently includes patients across Europe.

Why is it important? The results show that patients with successful CTO treatment have the same prognosis as patients without CTO. However, if the treatment is unsuccessful, especially in a specific coronary artery, the left anterior descending artery, the prognosis is worse. The research also shows that successful treatment is more cost-effective than unsuccessful treatment due to better long-term prognosis.

The summary is written by the PhD student. 

The defence is public and takes place in auditorum A, G206-145, Aarhus University Hospital. Please see the press release for more information. 

Contact

PhD student Emil Nielsen Holck
Mail: eh@clin.au.dk 
Phone: +45 31419472

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