Footage from a new catheter shows inside of human artery
Researchers have developed a new tool for identifying the composition of arterial plaque most likely to rupture and cause a heart attack.
The catheter probe combines intravascular ultrasound with fluorescence imaging to image the tiny arteries of a living heart.
The new catheter can simultaneously retrieve structural and chemical information about arterial plaque, which could be used to more reliably predict heart attacks.
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An artery in cross-section where the ultrasound (gray scale) depicts shape and structure and the fluorescence (colored band) depicts the composition of the artery, with blue representing normal, healthy tissue and yellow to red representing plaque and arterial disease
The new device is described in a study published in the journal Scientific Reports.
A currently used technique called angiography allows cardiologists to examine blood vessels for constricted regions by injecting them with a contrast agent before X-raying them.
But because plaque doesn't always leads to constricted vessels, angiography can miss dangerous plaque build up.
Another method, called intravascular ultrasound, can penetrate the plaque buildup to identify depth, but isn't able to identify some of the finer details about risk of plaque rupture.
But the device, developed by researchers at UC Davis in in California, combines intravascular ultrasound with fluorescence lifetime imaging in a catheter probe that can image tiny arteries.
WHAT IS ARTHEROSCLEROSIS? Atherosclerosis is a specific type of arteriosclerosis, but the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Arteriosclerosis occurs when the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients from the heart to the rest of the body (arteries) become thick and stiff - sometimes restricting blood flow to organs and tissues. Artherosclerosis is when the buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances in and on your artery walls (plaques), which can restrict blood flow. These plaques can burst, and can trigger a blood clot in arteries anywhere in the body. Artherosclerosis is when the buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances in and on your artery walls (plaques), which can restrict blood flow Source: Mayo Clinic
An optical fiber in the catheter sends short laser pulse into surrounding tissue, which fluoresces with tiny flashes of light in return.
Different kinds of tissue - collagen, proteins and lipids - emit different amounts of fluorescence.
At the same time, an ultrasound prove in the catheter records structural information about the blood vessel.
The new catheter provides insight into how artherosclerotic plaque forms, aiding diagnosis and providing a way to measure how plaques shrink in response to different types of therapies.
This new catheter probe combines intravascular ultrasound with fluorescence lifetime imaging to image the tiny arteries of a living heart. It can simultaneously retrieve structural and chemical information about arterial plaque, which could be used to predict heart attacks
In the 1987 movie Innerspace, after Jack Putter (Martin Short) and Lydia Maxwell (Meg Ryan) share a kiss, Lydia's estranged boyfriend Tuck Pendleton (Dennis Quaid) is transferred into Lydia's body through the saliva
The new catheter has been tested in living pig hearts and samples of human coronary arteries, and it's flexible enough to access coronary arteries in a living human.
It also doesn't require any injected tracers or any special modification of the catheterization procedures.
The new imaging technique could not only improve understanding of mechanisms behind plaque rupture - which can lead to death - but also help diagnose and treat patients with heart disease.
Dr Laura Marcu, the lead author of the research group, is working to obtain FDA approval to test the new device on human patients.
This video shows a cross-section of an artery, depicting its composition. Blue represents normal, healthy tissue and yellow to red represents plaque and arterial disease