Medicine–

State-of-the-Art Technology Allows Surgeons to See Inside Blood Vessels

Stanford is one of three places in the US that is testing optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a tool to view the inner workings of coronary arteries.  Generally used to observe individual cells in the retina, the high resolution scanning technology can also provide a microscopic view of the interior of a coronary artery in a live patient. The near infrared light used in OCT produces images that are 10-30 times sharper and clearer than what is attained using intravascular ultra sound technology.

oct
Optical Coherence Tomography
ultra
Intravascular Ultra Sound

Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, Alan Yeung, MD uses OCT in his clinical work to treat patients suffering from early and late phase atherosclerosis. “As a protocol, we use the technology after we put a stent in. You can actually see how the stent is pushing against the wall,” explained Yeung. “And if the patient comes back with a problem you can check on whether the stent has healed properly. And we are making biodegradable stents that will vanish over a few years. This technology will allow us to see the stent disappear.”  The diagram above displays a representative OCT image compared with conventional IVUS.

The extraordinary images produced by OCT are derived by a technology that scatters rather than absorbs light. Once inside the blood vessel the optical beam is scanned sequentially, measuring reflections from the vessel walls. And as Yeung remarked, “The pictures are stunning; it’s an excellent tool to help us understand how a patient’s blood vessel is healing.”

 

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