title: Optical coherence tomography for characterization of cardiac allograft vasculopathy after heart transplantation (OCTCAV study).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a novel intravascular imaging modality with excellent spatial resolution. This study explored the utility of OCT in cardiac transplantation for the detection and characterization of early changes associated with coronary allograft vasculopathy (CAV).
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen consecutive patients, 1 to 4 years after transplant with no angiographic evidence of CAV, underwent successful OCT imaging using the Fourier-domain OCT system (C7-XR, St. Jude Medical, St. Paul, MN) in the left anterior descending artery. Analysis included measurements of the lumen, intima, and media layers, and characterization of atherosclerotic plaques. Patients were stratified by intima-to-media (I/M) ratio and classified as normal (≤1) or abnormal (>1).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients were a mean of 2.8 years after transplant, 58 years old, and 92% were men. OCT imaging revealed 8 of 15 patients had intimal hyperplasia with an I/M ratio >1. Comparing those with I/M ratio of ≤1 and >1, the median (interquartile range) intimal thickness was greater (75 [70-101] vs 206 [97-269]μm, p = 0.03), whereas the media thickness was no different (72 [70-103] vs 94 [73-113]μm, p = 0.53). In addition, 7 of 15 patients had lipid-rich or calcified atherosclerotic plaques.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  OCT provides high-resolution quantitative imaging of the coronary arteries and its use allows for detailed assessment of the coronary artery wall and early morphologic changes that occur after cardiac transplantation. The clinical predictive value of these OCT-derived measurements remains to be determined.
authors.affiliation: Heart and Vascular Institute, Center for Quality, Outcomes, and Research, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. khandharsj@upmc.edu
authors.forename: Sameer J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Khandhar
authors.forename: Hirosada
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Jeffrey J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Teuteberg
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Shullo
authors.forename: Hiram G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Bezerra
authors.forename: Marco A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Faith
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Selzer
authors.forename: Joon S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Oscar C
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Marroquin
authors.forename: Dennis M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: McNamara
authors.forename: Suresh R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Mulukutla
authors.forename: Catalin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Toma
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D064591:Allografts; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000473:pathology; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000473:pathology*