Real-time optical coherence tomography coregistration with angiography in percutaneous coronary intervention-impact...

Intracoronary optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging allows for high-resolution characterization of coronary lesions. Difficulties in matching cross-sectional OCT-images with angiographic lesion localization may limit optimal clinical utilization. We sought to prospectively assess the impact of a novel system of real-time OCT coregistration with angiography (ACR) on physician decision-making during percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI).

Strategy for PCI (stent - length, - diameter, - strategy, landing zone) and PCI-optimization (stent-malappostion, -underexpansion, edge-dissections, geographical mismatch) was prospectively assessed in 50 patients with 58 coronary lesions after (I) angiography, (II) OCT imaging, and (III) ACR. Preprocedural OCT imaging altered stent-length (58.9%), diameter (33.9%), and PCI-strategy (12.5%) in 40 (71.4%) lesions. The use of ACR resulted in additional changes in PCI strategy in 40.7% of mostly complex lesions in comparison to OCT imaging alone and involved mainly device landing zone (24.1%) and stent length (22.2%). Postprocedural OCT imaging revealed the need for PCI optimization in 52.2% of the lesions, whereas post-procedural ACR had no further impact.

Real-time OCT ACR had significant impact on PCI strategy, favoring mainly complete lesion coverage especially in complex lesions.