Advantages and prospects of optical coherence tomography in interventional therapy of coronary heart disease (Review)

Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of mortality among all diseases globally. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a key method for the treatment of coronary heart disease. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an optical diagnostic technology with a resolution of up to 10 µm, which is able to accurately assess the composition of the coronary arterial wall and determine the characteristics of atherosclerotic lesions. It is also highly consistent with pathological examinations, optimizing the effect of stent implantation and evaluation of the long-term effectiveness and safety of the stent, which has irreplaceable value in the field of precision and optimization of coronary intervention. The innovative OCT technology may help provide more comprehensive clinical research evidence. The application of OCT in clinical and basic research of coronary atherosclerosis, selection of treatment strategies for acute coronary syndromes, optimization of interventional treatment efficacy, evaluation of novel stents, intimal stent coverage and selection of dual antiplatelet drugs has become more widely used, affecting the current coronary interventional treatment strategies to a certain extent. The aim of the present review was to discuss the role of OCT in evaluating preoperative plaque characteristics, guiding PCI and evaluating the effects of postoperative stents or drug treatments.