AUTHOR=Kuku Kayode O. , Singh Manavotam , Ozaki Yuichi , Dan Kazuhiro , Chezar-Azerrad Chava , Waksman Ron , Garcia-Garcia Hector M. 

TITLE=Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Intravascular Ultrasound Imaging: State of the Art

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

VOLUME=Volume 7 - 2020

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2020.00107

DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2020.00107

ISSN=2297-055X

ABSTRACT=Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) secondary to coronary vessel plaques represent a major cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality worldwide. Advancements in imaging technology over the last 3 decades have continuously enabled the study of coronary plaques via invasive imaging methods like intravascular ultrasound and optical coherence tomography. The introduction of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) as a modality that could detect the lipid (cholesterol) content of atherosclerotic plaques in the early nineties, opened the potential of studying “vulnerable” or rupture-prone coronary plaques in ACS patients. Intracoronary NIRS imaging offers a unique method of coronary plaque characterization and could become a valuable clinical management tool.