Optical Coherence Tomography — Light and Truth

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) uses near-infrared light waves to image the tissue microstructure in coronary arteries with resolution that is 10 times greater than that provided by intravascular ultrasonography. The axial resolution of OCT is 10 to 15 μm and thus allows visualization of atherosclerosis in a coronary artery to the level of a macrophage. OCT has made coronary artery disease more visible and more complex; we have moved from the simplicity of characterizing coronary artery atherosclerosis as only a lipid-rich plaque rupture to a more complex pathophysiology involving multiple thin-cap fibroatheromas, plaque erosions, and calcified nodules.1,2 Can we use . . .