Cardiac Optical Coherence Tomography: History, Current Status, and Perspective.

Journal: JACC. Asia
Published Date:

Abstract

For more than 2 decades since the first imaging procedure was performed in a living patient, intravascular optical coherence tomography (OCT), with its unprecedented image resolution, has made significant contributions to cardiovascular medicine in the realms of vascular biology research and percutaneous coronary intervention. OCT has contributed to a better understanding of vascular biology by providing insights into the pathobiology of atherosclerosis, including plaque phenotypes and the underlying mechanisms of acute coronary syndromes such as plaque erosion, neoatherosclerosis, stent thrombosis, and myocardial infarction with nonobstructive coronary arteries. Moreover, OCT has been used as an adjunctive imaging tool to angiography for the guidance of percutaneous coronary intervention procedures to optimize outcomes. However, broader application of OCT has faced challenges, including subjective interpretation of the images and insufficient clinical outcome data. Future developments including artificial intelligence-assisted interpretation, multimodality catheters, and micro-OCT, as well as large prospective outcome studies could broaden the impact of OCT on cardiovascular medicine.

Authors

  • Taishi Yonetsu
    Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.
  • Ik-Kyung Jang
    Cardiology Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.

Keywords

No keywords available for this article.