title: Optical coherence tomography: from research to practice.
abstract: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a high-resolution imaging technique with great versatility of applications. In cardiology, OCT has remained hitherto as a research tool for characterization of vulnerable plaques and evaluation of neointimal healing after stenting. However, OCT is now successfully applied in different clinical scenarios, and the introduction of frequency domain analysis simplified its application to the point it can be considered a potential alternative to intravascular ultrasound for clinical decision-making in some cases. This article reviews the use of OCT for assessment of lesion severity, characterization of acute coronary syndromes, guidance of intracoronary stenting, and evaluation of long-term results.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Cardiovascular Translational Research of the Atlantic, Vigo (Pontevedra),  Spain.
authors.forename: Juan Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez-Chico
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alegría-Barrero
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Teijeiro-Mestre
authors.forename: Pak Hei
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Hiroto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsujioka
authors.forename: Ranil
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Silva
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Viceconte
authors.forename: Alistair
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lindsay
authors.forename: Tiffany
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Foin
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akasaka
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: di Mario
mesh_terms: D054058:Acute Coronary Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000295:instrumentation*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D058426:Neointima / Q000473:pathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015607:Stents; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000295:instrumentation*; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional / Q000295:instrumentation