title: Optical coherence tomography assessment and quantification of intracoronary thrombus: Status and perspectives.
abstract: Coronary angiography is the "golden standard" imaging technique in interventional cardiology and it is still widely used to guide interventions. A major drawback of this technique, however, is that it is inaccurate in the evaluation and quantification of intracoronary thrombus burden, a critical prognosticator and predictor of intraprocedural complications in acute coronary syndromes. The introduction of optical coherence tomography (OCT) holds the promise of overcoming this important limitation, as near-infrared light is uniquely sensitive to hemoglobin, the pigment of red blood cells trapped in the thrombus. This narrative review will focus on the use of OCT for the assessment, evaluation and quantification of intracoronary thrombosis.
authors: Interventional Cardiology Unit, San Donato Hospital, Arezzo, Italy. Electronic address: italo.porto@gmail.com.
authors: Italo
authors: I
authors: Porto
authors: Interventional Cardiology Unit, Careggi Hospital, Florence, Italy.
authors: Alessio
authors: A
authors: Mattesini
authors: Interventional Cardiology Unit, Careggi Hospital, Florence, Italy.
authors: Serafina
authors: S
authors: Valente
authors: Interventional Cardiology San Giovanni Hospital, Rome, Italy; CLI foundation, Italy.
authors: Francesco
authors: F
authors: Prati
authors: Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
authors: Filippo
authors: F
authors: Crea
authors: Interventional Cardiology Unit, San Donato Hospital, Arezzo, Italy.
authors: Leonardo
authors: L
authors: Bolognese
mesh_terms: D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D003328:Coronary Thrombosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D015607:Stents; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods
keywords: Acute coronary syndromes; Optical coherence tomography; Stent thrombosis; Thrombus