[Peripheral and coronary angioscopy: its correlation with endovascular procedures]

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Interventions
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Angiography is standard for evaluating transluminal angioplasty's anatomic results.
• Angioscopy offers direct visualization of vessel wall morphology changes post-recanalization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the diagnostic capabilities of angiography and angioscopy in assessing transluminal angioplasty outcomes.
• To identify complications of transluminal angioplasty methods through direct angioscopic visualization.

Main Methods:

• Studied 16 arteries (5 coronary, 9 peripheral) with total or >75% obstruction.
• Evaluated arteries using angiography and angioscopy before and after transluminal angioplasty (ultrasound, balloon, laser).

Main Results:

• Recanalization achieved in 90% of ultrasound angioplasty cases.
• Angioscopy revealed dissection in 55% of ultrasound angioplasty and both balloon angioplasty cases.
• Angioscopy detected endothelial hemorrhage (21%) and thrombosis (29%), findings often missed by angiography.
• 25% of cases showed discrepancies between angiography and angioscopy findings.

Conclusions:

• Angioscopy detects subtle endothelial alterations and complications missed by angiography.
• Direct angioscopic visualization improves the assessment of angioplasty method results and potential complications.
• Angioscopy is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of transluminal angioplasty outcomes.