In vivo imaging of vulnerable plaque with intravascular modalities: its advantages and limitations
Satoshi Kitahara, Yu Kataoka, Hiroki Sugane, Fumiyuki Otsuka, Yasuhide Asaumi, Teruo Noguchi, Satoshi Yasuda, Satoshi Kitahara, Yu Kataoka, Hiroki Sugane, Fumiyuki Otsuka, Yasuhide Asaumi, Teruo Noguchi, Satoshi Yasuda
Abstract
In vivo imaging of plaque instability has been considered to have a great potential to predict future coronary events and evaluate the stabilization effect of novel anti-atherosclerotic medical therapies. Currently, there are several intravascular imaging modalities which enable to visualize plaque components associated with its vulnerability. These include virtual histology intravascular ultrasound (VH-IVUS), integrated backscatter IVUS (IB-IVUS), optical coherence tomography (OCT), near-infrared spectroscopy and coronary angioscopy. Recent studies have shown that these tools are applicable for risk stratification of cardiovascular events as well as drug efficacy assessment. However, several limitation exists in each modality. The current review paper will outline advantages and limitation of VH-IVUS, IB-IVUS, OCT, NIRS and coronary angioscopy imaging.
Keywords: Vulnerable plaque; integrated backscatter intravascular ultrasound (IB-IVUS), coronary angioscopy; intravascular imaging; near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS); optical coherence tomography (OCT); virtual-histology intravascular ultrasound (VH-IVUS).
Conflict of interest statement
Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/cdt-20-238). The series “Intracoronary Imaging” was commissioned by the editorial office without any funding or sponsorship. YK serves as an unpaid editorial board member of Cardiovascular Diagnosis and Therapy from Jul 2019 to Jun 2021. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare.
2020 Cardiovascular Diagnosis and Therapy. All rights reserved.
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Source: PubMed