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Detection and structural characterization of lipid-core plaques with intravascular NIRS-IVUS imaging

JL Su, SJ Grainger, CA Greiner, SP Madden, ST Sum, JE Muller & RD Madder

Intracoronary near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) combined with intravascular ultrasound is a novel diagnostic tool for the characterization of coronary plaque structure and composition. The principle advantage of NIRS is its ability to directly and reliably identify chemical composition rather than infer composition from signals that fundamentally have little inherent chemical specificity. NIRS has been prospectively validated in autopsy studies and approved by the US FDA to detect lipid-core plaque in the coronary arteries. The accurate detection of lipid-core plaques is likely to be of clinical importance because of the close association of lipid-core plaques and coronary events. Prospective studies are in progress to test the hypothesis that combined NIRS and intravascular ultrasound imaging can detect vulnerable coronary plaques and guide preventive therapy.