Intravascular molecular imaging: translating pathophysiology of atherosclerosis into human disease conditions

Masaru Seguchi, Alp Aytekin, Tobias Lenz, Philipp Nicol, Grace R. Klosterman, Alicia Beele, Emina Sabic, Léa Utsch, Aseel Alyaqoob, Dimitris Gorpas, Vasilis Ntziachristos, Farouc A. Jaffer, Philipp Rauschendorfer, Michael Joner

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Progression of atherosclerotic plaque in coronary arteries is characterized by complex cellular and non-cellular molecular interactions. Within recent years, atherosclerosis has been recognized as inflammation-driven disease condition, where progressive stages are characterized by morphological changes in plaque composition but also relevant molecular processes resulting in increased plaque vulnerability. While existing intravascular imaging modalities are able to resolve key morphological features during plaque progression, they lack capability to characterize the molecular profile of advanced atherosclerotic plaque. Because hybrid imaging modalities may provide incremental information related to plaque biology, they are expected to provide synergistic effects in detecting high risk patients and lesions. The aim of this article is to review existing literature on intravascular molecular imaging approaches, and to provide clinically oriented proposals of their application. In addition, we assembled an overview of future developments in this field geared towards detection of patients at risk for cardiovascular events.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)E1-E16
JournalEuropean Heart Journal Cardiovascular Imaging
Volume24
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2023

Keywords

  • coronary artery
  • near-infrared fluorescence
  • near-infrared spectroscopy
  • photoacoustic
  • vulnerable plaque

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