Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and sudden cardiac death are the main causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. ACS are often the first manifestation of coronary artery disease, and the rupture of a coronary plaque is the main cause of ACS. Histopathological studies have revealed that the majority of thrombi result from plaque rupture. Grayscale intravascular ultrasonography (IVUS), a tomographic imaging tool, can visualize coronary atherosclerosis in vivo, elucidating plaque area, plaque distribution, lesion length, and coronary remodeling. IVUS has demonstrated the discrepancies between the extent of atherosclerosis seen by coronary angiography and the actual extent of atherosclerotic disease. Quantitative assessment of plaque composition has, however, not been possible with grayscale IVUS analysis.     «

Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and sudden cardiac death are the main causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. ACS are often the first manifestation of coronary artery disease, and the rupture of a coronary plaque is the main cause of ACS. Histopathological studies have revealed that the majority of thrombi result from plaque rupture. Grayscale intravascular ultrasonography (IVUS), a tomographic imaging tool, can visualize coronary atherosclerosis in vivo, elucidating plaque area, pla...     »