Angioscopy in 2015: the Role of Macroscopic Pathology in Living Patients

Abstract

Angioscopy can detect lipid-rich yellow plaques that are regarded as vulnerable plaques. The patients who have multiple yellow plaques are regarded as vulnerable patients. The disrupted plaques can also be visualized directly by angioscopy, but they can be detected more sensitively as the presence of thrombus. On the other hand, angioscopy can also evaluate the neointima formed over stents. The follow-up angioscopic examinations after the implantation of coronary stents visualized atherosclerosis progression as the formation of yellow plaque in the stent-implanted segments. Recently, the presence of yellow plaque at 1 year after stent implantation has been demonstrated to be the risk of future stent failure. Atherosclerosis progression shown by the formation of yellow plaque may be the major mechanism and Bfinal common pathway^for the very-late stent failure.

Case report of a peripheral artery disease patient with its aetiology clarified by retrograde angioscopy

“…Angioscopy is regarded as the most sensitive intracoronary imaging device to detect thrombus, and it is an established imaging methodology to detect disrupted thrombogenic plaque. 8–11 The use of a retrograde approach for angioscopic examination is an original method presented in this report for the first time.…”