ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Cardiovasc. Med.
Sec. Cardiovascular Imaging
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2025.1595889
Advantages of Hybrid Intravascular Ultrasound-Optical Coherence Tomography System in Clinical Practice
Provisionally accepted
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine Third Affiliated Hospital, Beijing, China
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Background: While the hybrid intravascular ultrasound-optical coherence tomography (IVUS-OCT) imaging system offers theoretical advantages for enhanced characterization of vascular morphology and histopathology through multimodal integration, its clinical efficacy lacks systematic validation.We conducted a comprehensive comparative analysis of this novel hybrid imaging modality against conventional single-modality OCT and IVUS systems, aiming to establish an evidence-based foundation for its clinical implementation and broader adoption in interventional cardiology practice.Objective: To evaluate the clinical advantages of hybrid intravascular ultrasound-optical coherence tomography (IVUS-OCT) system compared with single-modality imaging techniques in clinical practice.The hybrid IVUS-OCT intracoronary imaging system was employed to evaluate the characteristics of coronary atherosclerotic plaques and the immediate post-stent outcomes and compared against single-modality OCT and IVUS. The post-stent immediate effects were evaluated by the clear stent capture rate (CSCR), identification of incomplete stent apposition, tissue protrusion, and stent edge dissection.Results: 74 patients underwent successful hybrid imaging (82 vessels imaged). Plaque analysis (23 vessels) identified 41 plaques (21 lipid, 20 calcified, 2 thin-cap fibroatheromas [TCFAs]). OCT alone detected 21 lipid, 16 calcified, 3 possible TCFAs (maximal calcified arc accuracy: 68.75%). IVUS alone detected 15 lipid, 20 calcified, 0 TCFAs (maximal calcified arc accuracy: 85%). For post-stent evaluation (74 vessels), hybrid imaging visualized all stents (CSCR=100%), detecting 23 incomplete stent apposition, 10 tissue protrusions, and 10 edge dissections. OCT detected 66 CSCR (89.19%), 23 incomplete stent apposition (100%), 10 tissue protrusions (100%), and 10 edge dissections (100%). IVUS detected 37 CSCR (50%), 8 incomplete stent apposition (34.78%), 2 tissue protrusions (20%), and 7 edge dissections (70%). Hybrid IVUS-OCT and OCT significantly outperformed IVUS in CSCR, tissue protrusion, and incomplete stent apposition detection (P < 0.05).The hybrid IVUS-OCT intracoronary imaging system outperforms single-modality IVUS or OCT in evaluating coronary atherosclerotic plaque characteristics and immediate post-stent outcomes.
Keywords: IVUS-OCT, hybrid intracoronary imaging system, Coronary atherosclerotic heart disease, Plaque characteristics, immediate post-stent evaluation
Received: 18 Mar 2025; Accepted: 23 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xie, Han, Wang, Jia, Wang, Li and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Buxing Chen, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine Third Affiliated Hospital, Beijing, China
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