Which device has a mini ultrasound transducer and images the lumen of the coronary artery and outlines blood flow, and can be used with coronary angiography?

Which device has a mini ultrasound transducer and images the lumen of the coronary artery and outlines blood flow, and can be used with coronary angiography?

• A. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)
• B. Optical coherence tomography
• C. Coronary flow reserve measurement
• D. Fractional flow reserve

Answer: (A)

Intravascular ultrasound uses a mini ultrasound transducer at the tip of a catheter to imaging the inside of the coronary artery. It provides real-time cross-sectional images of the lumen and the vessel wall, so you can see lumen size, plaque burden, and overall vessel geometry. When Doppler or flow imaging is included, it can also outline blood flow within the vessel. This imaging is especially useful alongside coronary angiography to guide interventions, as it gives depth and plaque details that angiography alone cannot show, helping with accurate stent sizing and placement. Optical coherence tomography, by contrast, uses near-infrared light rather than ultrasound, offering very high-resolution images of the lumen but not ultrasound-based flow assessment. The other two options are physiologic tests: coronary flow reserve and fractional flow reserve measure flow or pressure across a lesion rather than providing intravascular imaging of the lumen and flow patterns.

Intravascular ultrasound uses a mini ultrasound transducer at the tip of a catheter to imaging the inside of the coronary artery. It provides real-time cross-sectional images of the lumen and the vessel wall, so you can see lumen size, plaque burden, and overall vessel geometry. When Doppler or flow imaging is included, it can also outline blood flow within the vessel. This imaging is especially useful alongside coronary angiography to guide interventions, as it gives depth and plaque details that angiography alone cannot show, helping with accurate stent sizing and placement.

Optical coherence tomography, by contrast, uses near-infrared light rather than ultrasound, offering very high-resolution images of the lumen but not ultrasound-based flow assessment. The other two options are physiologic tests: coronary flow reserve and fractional flow reserve measure flow or pressure across a lesion rather than providing intravascular imaging of the lumen and flow patterns.