Assessment of Coronary Plaque Vulnerability with Optical Coherence Tomography.

Abstract

UNLABELLED:

Several catheter-based imaging modalities have been developed over the past 2 decades for visualizing the morphological features of coronary atherosclerotic plaques that are susceptible to future development of serious cardiovascular events. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a new high-resolution intracoronary imaging modality based on near-infrared interferometry, and it has been shown to be able to identify various components of atheromatous plaques. In this review, we examine the histopathology of vulnerable plaques as a target for imaging technology, and discuss the evidence of OCT in identifying vulnerable atherosclerotic lesions in patients with coronary artery disease.

KEY WORDS:

Coronary artery disease; Optical coherence tomography; Vulnerable plaque.

• Authors: Shiro Uemura, Tsunenari Soeda, Yu Sugawara, Tomoya Ueda, Makoto Watanabe, Yoshihiko Saito
• Journal: Acta Cardiologica Sinica (Acta Cardiol Sin) Vol. 30 Issue 1 Pg. 1-9 (Jan 2014) ISSN: 1011-6842 [Print] China (Republic : 1949- )
• PMID: 27122761 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)