Copyright © 1992 by the European Society of Cardiology.
© 1992 The European Society of Cardiology
In vitro and in vivo intravascular ultrasound imaging
Cardiology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A.
Received 1 November 1989; revised 17 December 1990; .
Correspondence DrMartin B. Leon, Cardiology Branch, Washington Hospital Center, 110 Irving Street, Suite4B-14, Washington D.C. 20010, U.S.A.
Abstract
This paper presents our experience with intravascular ultrasound imaging of animal and human arteries in vitro and in vivo using a high-frequency (20 MHz) ultrasound transducer. In vitro, 32 human coronary artery segments were imaged with intravascular ultrasound and compared with corresponding histological sections. Ultrasound and histology measurements correlated significantly (P< 0.0001) for coronary artery cross-sectional area (r = 0.94), lumen cross-sectional area (r = 0.85) and wall thickness (r = 0.92). In vivo, 19 sheep and eight human common femoral arteries were imaged and the angiographic lumen diameter of 14 animal and six human arteries was compared to the diameter of the corresponding ultrasound images. Significant correlations were found for lumen diameter in animals and humans (P < 0.001, r = 0.91 and P<0.0001, r = 0.96, respectively). These studies demonstrate that this technique can provide high resolution images of arterial vessels and may have unique advantages in diagnosing atherosclerotic vascular disease and in catheter based therapies
Key Words: Ultrasound • intravascular imaging