Optical Coherence Tomography(OCT) in Interventional Cardiology

What is Optical Coherence Tomography?
It’s an imaging tool used during angioplasty. It uses light to create quality image of blood vessel from inside. The quality of images created are as good as histology/microscopic pictures. I call it the light source camera of blood vessels.


How Does Optical Coherence Tomography Work?

OCT uses near-infrared light to create images of the inside of the coronary arteries. The technique delivers very high-resolution color images. A beam of light is directed at the artery, and some of the light reflects from inside the artery tissue and some of it scatters. This scattered light causes something called “glare.” Using OCT, the glare can be filtered out. Even the smallest amount of reflected light that is not scattered can be detected and used to form the image of the coronary artery. In fact, OCT allows cardiologists to see the inside of an artery in 10 times more detail than if they were using traditional intravascular ultrasound.


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Benefits

It is a great aid for optimization of results of angioplasty especially in complex cases. The light camera defines the extent of calcium in blood vessels very finitely, which indeed helps us to choose advanced hardware’s and tools of PCI. With the help of OCT the cardiologist can see the size of vessel, the length and diameter of the stent to be used and whether stent can be fitted properly into the vessel. It has unparalleled advantage differential between a thrombosis & dissection flap, which makes great difference in PCI outcomes for patients.