Virtual Histology-Intravascular Ultrasound

Abstract Although gray-scale intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) has been an established method for assessing coronary lesion morphology and quantifying the atheroma, its role in plaque characterization is limited. Based on the spectral analysis of the primary raw backscattered radiofrequency signal, virtual histology (VH)-IVUS provides detailed tissue maps. Despite some methodological pitfalls, VH-IVUS has been used in recent clinical trials that suggested thin-cap fibroatheroma and large plaque burden as the predictors of future cardiovascular events related to non-culprit lesions. In addition, VH-IVUS helps us to understand coronary artery disease and the effects of local or systemic treatment on natural history of coronary atherosclerosis. Also, VH-IVUS can be used to identify the high-risk coronary lesions for distal embolization during percutaneous coronary intervention.
Source: Current Cardiovascular Imaging Reports - Category: Radiology Source Type: research