Doenças Cardiovasculares e Diagnóstico

An Update on Clinical Applications of Intravascular Ultrasound

Abstract

Debabrata Dash and Ramesh Daggubati

Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) has emerged as the first clinical imaging method to visualize atherosclerosis and other pathologic conditions within vessel wall. It is of paramount importance in clarifying situations in which angiography is equivocal or difficult to interpret, choosing the appropriate intervention, and optimizing the results. It is an important tool providing several unique insights into plaque burden, remodeling, and restenosis. In percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES), IVUS guidance may reduce stent thrombosis. IVUS guidance appears to be most beneficial in complex lesion subsets, such as left main coronary artery (LMCA) and bifurcations. In this review, the author examines the clinical applications of IVUS in current PCI era dominated by use of DES.