Frontiers in Intravascular Imaging Technologies

I n 1971, Bom et al 1 developed one of the first catheter- based real-time imaging techniques for use in the cardiac system. In placing a set of phased-array ultrasound transducers within the cardiac chambers, Bom and colleagues showed that higher frequencies than those used in transthoracic ultrasound imaging could be used to produce high-resolution images of cardiac structures. By the late 1980s, Yock et al 2 had successfully miniaturized a single-transducer system to enable transducer placement within coronary arteries. Since then, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) has become a pivotal catheter-based imaging technology, having provided practical guidance for percutaneous interventions and scientific insights into vascular biology in clinical settings. Technical developments currently being explored consist of further device improvements, a variety of advanced image analyses, and the extension of this ultrasound-based approach to diverse intravascular imaging techniques with other energy sources.