Molecular Intravascular Imaging Approaches for Atherosclerosis

Intravascular near-infrared fluorescence molecular imaging of atherosclerosis.

Novel imaging modalities are required to better identify vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques before their dire consequences of myocardial infarction, sudden death, and stroke. Moving beyond traditional diagnostic methods, the field of molecular imaging offers an innovative approach to report upon critical in vivo biological features of high-risk plaques. Molecular imaging employs engineered, tar...

Imaging of coronary atherosclerosis: intravascular ultrasound.

Atherosclerosis is the main cause of coronary heart disease, which is today the leading cause of death worldwide and will continue to be the first in the world in 2030. In the formation of atherosclerotic coronary lesions, a critical primary step is the accumulation and oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles. Oxidized-LDL favours leucocyte recruitment and their activation, as well...

Molecular Imaging and Atherosclerosis

Ultrasound molecular imaging of atherosclerosis.

Recent advances in our understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of atherosclerosis have created the need for better non-invasive imaging of vascular phenotype. Ultrasound is widely available, inexpensive, and well suited for high-throughput screening in populations that are at risk for atherosclerosis. Novel ultrasonic approaches for the diagnosis of vascular changes in atherosclerosi...

Whither catheter-based intravascular magnetic resonance imaging of atherosclerosis?

t w c b w o i w a a b t t s e t i o great deal of hype and excitement accompanied the advent of catheter-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the vessel wall at the end of the 1990s. Initial tudies were performed in the vessels ex vivo that emonstrated excellent correlation with histologial characteristics of the imaged plaques (1–3). A roblem arose that once the catheter was inserted n an...