AUTHOR=Alasnag Mirvat , Ahmed Waqar , Al-Bawardy Rasha , Shammeri Owayed Al , Biswas Sinjini , Johnson Thomas W. TITLE=Optimising PCI by Intracoronary Image-guidance JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine VOLUME=9 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2022.878801 DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2022.878801 ISSN=2297-055X ABSTRACT=

Evidence to support the use of intracoronary imaging (ICI) in guiding percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is growing, with observational and randomized controlled trials demonstrating a benefit in acute procedural and clinical outcomes. ICI provides an opportunity to guide PCI, detailing the nature of the coronary disease, potentially influencing lesion preparation and stent selection. Following stent deployment, ICI offers a detailed assessment of lesion coverage, associated vessel trauma and stent expansion. Consensus statements have emphasized the role of ICI and detailed the parameters of stent optimization. However, intracoronary imaging is not adopted widely yet. Significant global differences in the uptake of ICI have been reported, with the vast majority of PCI being angiographically-guided. The three major barriers to the implementation of ICI include, in order of impact, prohibitive cost, prolongation of procedure time and local regulatory issues for use. However, it is our belief that a lack of education and the associated challenges of ICI interpretation provide the greatest barrier to adoption. We hope that this review of the role of ICI in PCI optimization will provide a platform for PCI operators to gain confidence in the utilization of ICI to enhance outcomes for their patients.