Category: Cardiology

Aims: The aim of this study was to assess the ability of optical coherence tomography (OCT) to guide recrossing during percutaneous coronary interventions in bifurcations and to reduce strut malapposition.

A 54-year-old man with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for a severe stenosis in the first marginal branch of the left circumflex coronary artery (LCx-OM1) (Figure 1).

Aims: To demonstrate the feasibility and potential usefulness of an offline fusion of matched optical coherence tomography (OCT) and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)/virtual histology (IVUS-VH) images.

Developed specifically for the iPad, The Clinical Atlas of OCT offers a rapid and interactive guidance to a systematic and scientifically critical interpretation of OCT images for interventional cardiologists, pathologists, and other physicians, technicians, trainees and research staff.  See screenshots by clicking HERE. Led by Professor Patrick W. Serruys, Dr. Maria Radu, Dr. Lorenz Räber and Dr. Hector Garcia-Garcia, the team behind this publication includes several international well-renowned experts and key opinion leaders within the field of intracoronary imaging and pathology. The Clinical Atlas of Intravascular OCT comprises eight separate chapters offering the following contents: 1. Principles of OCT 2 ...

Aims The importance of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) has been implicated in the process of plaque rupture. However, few previous studies demonstrated the relationship between plaque morphology and oxLDL. We evaluated the relationship between coronary plaque vulnerability assessed by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and circulating malondialdehyde-modified low-density lipoprotein (MDA-LDL). Methods and results OCT was used to determine plaque vulnerability in 102 patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS; n = 53) and stable angina pectoris (SAP; n = 49). Circulating levels of MDA-LDL were measured by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Thin-cap fibroatheromas (TCFAs; defined as lipid-rich with plaque cap thickness

Objective To demonstrate the feasibility of imaging human coronary atherosclerosis using a novel hybrid intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging catheter. Background IVUS and OCT have synergistic advantages and recent studies involving both modalities suggest the use of a hybrid imaging catheter may offer improved guidance of coronary interventions and plaque characterization. Methods A 1.3 m custom hybrid IVUS-OCT imaging probe was built within a 4F catheter using a 42 MHz ultrasound transducer and an OCT imaging fiber. Coplanar images were simultaneously acquired ex vivo by both modalities in 31 arterial segments from 11 cadaveric human ...

Background Neointimal hyperplasia plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of in-stent restenosis in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions. Drug-eluting balloons are a promising tool to prevent restenosis after coronary angioplasty. Moreover, an increased knowledge of the pathophysiology of restenosis my help improve therapeutic strategies. Methods We present the design of an open-label, randomized three-arm clinical trial aimed to assess whether a strategy of bare-metal stent implantation with additional use of drug-eluting balloons, either before (pre-dilation) or after stenting (post-dilation), reduces the primary endpoint of in-stent neointimal hyperplasia area as compared with a strategy of bare-metal stent implantation alone. This ...

The Massachusetts General Hospital received a $464,845 2012 NIH grant to develop a preclinical optical frequency domain angiography instrument. The principal Investigator is Benjamin Vakoc. This grant is part of a multi-year project that started in 2012 and ends in 2017. Below is a summary of the work. Tumor-induced angiogenesis plays a central role in the progression of tumors to malignancy, provides the critical transport of blood-born therapies into the tumor space, and supplies oxygen to effectuate oxygen-dependent radiological and light-based therapies. Pre-clinical research in tumor angiogenesis and tumor microvascular function has traditionally relied on histological methods, which suffer ...

Forward-looking ultrasound transducers are positioned at the tip of a transseptal catheter to facilitate transseptal puncture and interventions within the left atrium, pulmonary veins and mitral valve. Catheter devices and systems are guided by forward-looking ultrasound or optical coherence tomography imaging for penetrating from one location within a mammalian patient's body to another location, and/or performing diagnostic or therapeutic interventions. A penetrator, diagnostic, or interventional device (eg. probe, biopsy apparatus, electrode, needle) is positioned at the catheter tip and is advanceable from the catheter to a target location outside of the lumen in which the catheter is positioned ...

This prospective, randomized trial will compare the extent of covered stent strut segments by assessed by Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) of the ORSIRO DES with that of the XIENCE PRIME DES, which is the standard of choice of contemporary drug eluting stents (DES).

Volcano Corporation (NASDAQ: VOLC), a leading developer and manufacturer of precision guided therapy tools designed to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral vascular disease, said today that it will be participating in the 11th Annual JMP Securities Research Conference on Monday, May 14.The presentation by John Dahldorf, chief financial officer, will begin at 10:30 a.m., Pacific Daylight Time (1:30 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time). The presentation will be available through the conference website at http://www.wsw.com/webcast/jmp17/volc/ and via the company's website at www.volcanocorp.com. Volcano Corporationis ...

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a high-resolution imaging technique that is increasingly used for intracoronary imaging to characterize coronary atherosclerotic plaques and vascular responses after coronary stent implantation. Introduction of optical frequency-domain imaging (OFDI; second generation OCT) has simplified practical use of this novel imaging modality resulting in a more widespread availability in interventional cardiology. Here we highlight recent insights into the acute and chronic vascular response after coronary stent implantation by OCT imaging. OCT provides cross-sectional images with approximately 10-fold higher resolution as compared to intravascular-ultrasound (IVUS), allowing for precise evaluation of tissue coverage and malapposition of coronary stent ...

Abstract  Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a novel intravascular imaging modality using near-infrared light. By OCT it is possible to obtain high-resolution cross-sectional images of the vascular wall structure and assess the acute and long-term effects of percutaneous coronary intervention. For the time being OCT has been mainly used in research providing new insights into the pathophysiology of the atheromatic plaque and of the vascular response to stenting, however, it seems that there is potential for clinical application of OCT in various fields, such as pre-interventional evaluation of coronary arteries, procedural guidance in coronary interventions, and follow-up assessment of vascular ...

The geometric and anatomical complexity of bifurcations makes its systematic scientific approach very challenging. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is able to depict accurately the plaque distribution around the bifurcation, to provide valuable information to tailor the procedure in each specific case, and to assess the result after stenting. Some guidelines are proposed for the systematic study of bifurcations with OCT, assessing the apposition, tissue coverage, the presence of overlap or multi-layer segments, the presence of non-apposed side-branch struts, the scaffolding of the carina and the shoulder, and the access to the side branch.

Carotid angioplasty and stenting is a minimally invasive endovascular procedure that may benefit from in vivo high resolution imaging for monitoring the physical placement of the stent and potential complications. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the ability of optical coherence tomography to construct high resolution 2D and 3D images of stenting in porcine carotid artery. Four Yorkshire pigs were anaesthetized and catheterized. A state-of-the-art optical coherence tomography (OCT) system and an automated injector were used to obtain both healthy and stented porcine carotid artery images. Data obtained were then processed for visualization. The state-of-the-art OCT system ...