Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine (Jun 2020)

Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Intravascular Ultrasound Imaging: State of the Art

  • Kayode O. Kuku,
  • Kayode O. Kuku,
  • Kayode O. Kuku,
  • Manavotam Singh,
  • Manavotam Singh,
  • Yuichi Ozaki,
  • Yuichi Ozaki,
  • Kazuhiro Dan,
  • Kazuhiro Dan,
  • Chava Chezar-Azerrad,
  • Chava Chezar-Azerrad,
  • Ron Waksman,
  • Ron Waksman,
  • Ron Waksman,
  • Hector M. Garcia-Garcia,
  • Hector M. Garcia-Garcia,
  • Hector M. Garcia-Garcia

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2020.00107
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7

Abstract

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Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) secondary to coronary vessel plaques represent a major cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality worldwide. Advancements in imaging technology over the last 3 decades have continuously enabled the study of coronary plaques via invasive imaging methods like intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). The introduction of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) as a modality that could detect the lipid (cholesterol) content of atherosclerotic plaques in the early nineties, opened the potential of studying “vulnerable” or rupture-prone, lipid-rich coronary plaques in ACS patients. Most recently, the ability of NIRS-IVUS to identify patients at risk of future adverse events was shown in a prospective multicenter trial, the Lipid-Rich-plaque Study. Intracoronary NIRS-IVUS imaging offers a unique method of coronary lipid-plaque characterization and could become a valuable clinical diagnostic and treatment monitoring tool.

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