Abstract

Recent developments in intracoronary optical coherence tomography imaging

Author(s): Hironori Kitabata and Takashi Akasaka

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has developed as an intracoronary imaging modality for the assessment of coronary artery disease. The high resolution (10–20 μm) of OCT has the ability to provide detailed microstructural information about coronary plaques in vivo, as well as the histological examination. Various in vitro and in vivo OCT studies have demonstrated a potential of OCT for identifying the features of vulnerable plaque. Furthermore, OCT can clearly identify stent failure following stent implantation. OCT can also reliably distinguish thin neointimal hyperplasia on stent struts better than intravascular ultrasound. Recently, the next-generation OCT system, named Fourier-domain OCT imaging, has been demonstrated to be a powerful enabling technology, with improvements in interrupted blood flow, higher penetration depth and faster image acquisition rates compared with the current OCT systems. This article describes the recent developments of intracoronary OCT imaging, and discusses the limitations and future perspectives in coronary OCT imaging.