title: [Invasive intracoronary imaging in ischemic heart disease].
abstract: In the last years, both the increase in percutaneous coronary revascularization and the instance of more reliable and individualized treatments have led interventional cardiologists to seek for a valuable adjunct to angiography in order to improve assessment and treatment of atherosclerotic coronary disease. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) allows precise tomographic measurement of lumen area, plaque size, and, to some extent, composition, with low risks and affordable costs. It is not yet clear whether routine use of IVUS provides a middle-to-long-term benefit in prevention of recurrent cardiovascular events. This review reports the main studies on IVUS imaging, underlining impact of ultrasound in the development of contemporary percutaneous revascularization techniques.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Università degli Studi, Genova. manricobalbi@libero.it
authors.forename: Manrico
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balbi
authors.forename: Martino
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cheli
authors.forename: Antonello
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parodi
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brunelli
mesh_terms: D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D062645:Percutaneous Coronary Intervention; D015607:Stents; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional