About this Research Topic
Interventional Cardiology is living in the era of the constant development of new strategies and technologies, aiming to improve patients’ outcomes, especially in the field of coronary angioplasty. As a matter of fact, percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) are rapidly gaining ground in the field of coronary revascularization, taking over from surgical techniques, and will, one day, completely substitute them. For this reason, obtaining optimal results in a constantly increasing percentage of cases should be the goal of interventional cardiologists, especially in those anatomical settings, where surgical revascularization still presents the gold standard. Intracoronary imaging is an established tool used for PCI optimization, both in the diagnostic and therapeutic phases.
The aim of this Research Topic is to collect original research underlining the value of intracoronary imaging tools (IVUS, OCT, NIRS) in the context of PCIs and high-quality reviews and/or meta-analysis highlighting the body of clinical evidence available to date for such techniques. The main goal would be to provide useful insights in order to help the readers understand, in detail, the aspects of intracoronary imaging techniques that positively impact PCIs the most, as well as the phase of coronary angioplasty procedures in which these tools are the most useful. Such works will certainly also help the scientific community to clarify the real reasons why intracoronary imaging techniques are under-utilized almost all over the world.
We are particularly interested in:
1) Original IVUS-based or OCT-based works possibly clarifying existing significant cut-offs for both techniques will be welcome.
2) Original works comparing IVUS and OCT used for PCI guidance.
3) Original OCT-based studies should address which specific plaque characteristics (dissections, plaque protrusions, stent under-expansion, etc…) are significantly correlated to worst outcomes after coronary stent implantation.
4) OCT-based studies describing new possible applications of such technique (i.e. Left Main interventions).
5) NIRS-based original papers that clarify the possible relationship between lipid-rich plaque characteristics and lipid-lowering therapies.
6) Reviews and meta-analysis shedding light on the clinical utility of intracoronary imaging use will be considered for publication.
The aim of this Research Topic is to collect original research underlining the value of intracoronary imaging tools (IVUS, OCT, NIRS) in the context of PCIs and high-quality reviews and/or meta-analysis highlighting the body of clinical evidence available to date for such techniques. The main goal would be to provide useful insights in order to help the readers understand, in detail, the aspects of intracoronary imaging techniques that positively impact PCIs the most, as well as the phase of coronary angioplasty procedures in which these tools are the most useful. Such works will certainly also help the scientific community to clarify the real reasons why intracoronary imaging techniques are under-utilized almost all over the world.
We are particularly interested in:
1) Original IVUS-based or OCT-based works possibly clarifying existing significant cut-offs for both techniques will be welcome.
2) Original works comparing IVUS and OCT used for PCI guidance.
3) Original OCT-based studies should address which specific plaque characteristics (dissections, plaque protrusions, stent under-expansion, etc…) are significantly correlated to worst outcomes after coronary stent implantation.
4) OCT-based studies describing new possible applications of such technique (i.e. Left Main interventions).
5) NIRS-based original papers that clarify the possible relationship between lipid-rich plaque characteristics and lipid-lowering therapies.
6) Reviews and meta-analysis shedding light on the clinical utility of intracoronary imaging use will be considered for publication.
Keywords: OCT, IVUS, NIRS, PCI, Intracoronary Imaging
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