UC Irvine

The video explores results obtained with deployment of intracoronary stents with the use of intravascular ultrasound imaging.   Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is a medical imaging methodology using a specially designed catheter with a miniaturized ultrasound probe attached to the distal end of the catheter and the proximal end of the catheter is attached to a computer to generate an image from the ultrasound reflections.  The images are comparable to a low power histologic cross section of human arteries.  IVUS provides insight into cases to understand the pathophysiologic mechanism of subacute stent thrombosis following stent insertion. The information provided by ultrasound imaging led to the use of larger balloons and higher-pressure inflations, which were documented by ultrasound to enlarge the lumen area.   Intravascular ultrasound imaging has been helpful in altering therapy, e.g., reinflating  with higher pressure,  using a larger balloon, redilating proximally or distally in the stent, revealing a stenosis that is unrecognized or underappreciated by angiography , or demonstrating that further intervention is not necessary.  These observations led to a lower level of complications following placement of coronary stents, which paved the way for the generalized application of stenting for treatment of coronary artery disease.

Volume I  (1:26:58)  MPG4  3.6 Gb  (1996)