Enhanced IVUS: Advances Allowing Higher Resolution and Integrated Devices

Abstract Purpose of Review Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) has been in use for nearly 30 years and has greatly assisted in the evaluation and advancement of coronary interventional devices and strategy. With increasing interest in vulnerable plaque, new imaging tools and/or improved IVUS resolution is required. This chapter will describe these enhancements. Recent Findings Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has become catheter based and allows improved definition of vulnerable plaque and fine coronary surface details. Several manufacturers have developed higher-resolution IVUS, achieving a balance between resolution and depth penetration. Additionally, integrated multimodality devices have been developed. The most advanced of these is a combination of near-infrared spectroscopy and IVUS. This catheter allows visualization and quantification of cholesterol-rich lipid plaques co-registered with conventional (and high-resolution) IVUS. Summary Despite widespread demonstration of utility for IVUS in guiding coronary intervention, IVUS continues to be used in only a minority of procedures. With increasing interest in vulnerable plaque, high-resolution IVUS and integrated devices offer new information to assist in the care of complex coronary disea...
Source: Current Cardiovascular Imaging Reports - Category: Radiology Source Type: research