Intravascular thermography: Immediate functional and morphological vascular findings

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular research
• Medical device innovation
• Interventional cardiology

Background:

• Thermography offers potential for assessing arterial health.
• Evaluating new catheter-based technologies is crucial for interventional cardiology.
• Understanding the impact of blood flow on temperature measurements is essential for accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the safety and feasibility of an intracoronary thermography catheter.
• To evaluate the catheter's effect on endothelial cells.
• To determine the influence of blood flow on temperature measurements in non-obstructive arteries.

Main Methods:

• Thermography catheter safety and feasibility tested in rabbit aortas and pig coronary arteries.
• Endothelial damage assessed using Evans Blue, SEM, and Factor-VIII antibody.
• In vitro and in vivo analysis of blood flow effects on temperature heterogeneity.

Main Results:

• Procedures were successful with low variability and no adverse events.
• Catheter use caused acute, reversible de-endothelialization, comparable to IVUS.
• Physiologic flow did not significantly alter measured temperature differences; heterogeneity increased without flow.

Conclusions:

• Intracoronary thermography catheter is safe and feasible.
• Endothelial de-endothelialization is similar to IVUS.
• Thermography is clinically applicable due to stable measurements under physiologic flow.