Optical coherence tomography assessment and quantification of intracoronary thrombus: Status and perspectives

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Imaging
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Coronary angiography is the gold standard for guiding interventional cardiology procedures.
• However, it has limitations in accurately evaluating intracoronary thrombus burden, a key factor in acute coronary syndromes.
• Intracoronary thrombus is a critical prognosticator and predictor of procedural complications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the application of optical coherence tomography (OCT) in assessing intracoronary thrombosis.
• To highlight OCT's advantages over traditional angiography for thrombus evaluation.
• To discuss OCT's role in quantifying thrombus burden.

Main Methods:

• This narrative review focuses on the use of optical coherence tomography (OCT).
• The review examines OCT's sensitivity to hemoglobin for thrombus detection.
• Literature search on OCT for intracoronary thrombosis assessment was conducted.

Main Results:

• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) demonstrates high sensitivity to hemoglobin, enabling precise thrombus detection.
• OCT provides accurate quantification of intracoronary thrombus burden.
• This capability surpasses the limitations of conventional coronary angiography.

Conclusions:

• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a promising tool for overcoming the limitations of coronary angiography in thrombus assessment.
• Accurate thrombus quantification using OCT can improve patient prognostication and procedural safety.
• OCT is valuable for the comprehensive evaluation of intracoronary thrombosis.