Intravascular photoacoustic imaging of human coronary atherosclerosis

We demonstrate intravascular photoacoustic imaging of human coronary atherosclerotic plaque. We specifically imaged lipid content, a key factor in vulnerable plaques that may lead to myocardial infarction. An integrated intravascular photoacoustics (IVPA) and ultrasound (IVUS) catheter with an outer diameter of 1.25 mm was developed. The catheter comprises an angle-polished optical fiber adjacent to a 30 MHz single-element transducer. The ultrasonic transducer was optically isolated to eliminate artifacts in the PA image. We performed measurements on a cylindrical vessel phantom and isolated point targets to demonstrate its imaging performance. Axial and lateral point spread function widths were 110 μm and 550 μm, respectively, for PA and 89 μm and 420 μm for US. We imaged two fresh human coronary arteries, showing different stages of disease, ex vivo. Specific photoacoustic imaging of lipid content, is achieved by spectroscopic imaging at different wavelengths between 1180 and 1230 nm.

[1]  R. Virmani,et al.  Lessons from sudden coronary death: a comprehensive morphological classification scheme for atherosclerotic lesions. , 2000, Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology.

[2]  S. Emelianov,et al.  Detection of lipid in atherosclerotic vessels using ultrasound-guided spectroscopic intravascular photoacoustic imaging , 2010, Optics express.

[3]  Pai-Chi Li,et al.  Integrated intravascular ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging scan head. , 2010, Optics letters.

[4]  H. V. van Beusekom,et al.  Intravascular photoacoustic imaging of human coronary atherosclerosis. , 2011, Optics letters.

[5]  V. Fuster,et al.  Coronary plaque disruption. , 1995, Circulation.

[6]  Gijs van Soest,et al.  First use in patients of a combined near infra-red spectroscopy and intra-vascular ultrasound catheter to identify composition and structure of coronary plaque. , 2010, EuroIntervention : journal of EuroPCR in collaboration with the Working Group on Interventional Cardiology of the European Society of Cardiology.

[7]  Frank K. Tittel,et al.  Laser optoacoustic tomography for medical diagnostics: principles , 1996, Photonics West.

[8]  L. Svaasand,et al.  Non-invasive in vivo characterization of breast tumors using photon migration spectroscopy. , 2000, Neoplasia.

[9]  James E. Muller,et al.  Detection and Treatment of Vulnerable Plaques and Vulnerable Patients: Novel Approaches to Prevention of Coronary Events , 2006, Circulation.

[10]  Cheng-Lun Tsai,et al.  Near-infrared Absorption Property of Biological Soft Tissue Constituents , 2001 .

[11]  Gijs van Soest,et al.  An intravascular photoacoustic imaging catheter , 2010, 2010 IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium.

[12]  Alessandro Torricelli,et al.  Determination of VIS- NIR absorption coefficients of mammalian fat, with time- and spatially resolved diffuse reflectance and transmission spectroscopy , 2004 .

[13]  R. Virmani,et al.  The thin-cap fibroatheroma: a type of vulnerable plaque: The major precursor lesion to acute coronary syndromes , 2001, Current opinion in cardiology.

[14]  Bo Wang,et al.  Integrated catheter for intravascular ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging , 2010, BiOS.

[15]  E. Tuzcu,et al.  Coronary Plaque Classification With Intravascular Ultrasound Radiofrequency Data Analysis , 2002, Circulation.

[16]  Gijs van Soest,et al.  Atherosclerotic tissue characterization in vivo by optical coherence tomography attenuation imaging. , 2010, Journal of biomedical optics.

[17]  R. Holman,et al.  Near-Infrared Spectra of Fatty Acids and Some Related Substances , 1956 .

[18]  Benjamin J Vakoc,et al.  Three-dimensional coronary artery microscopy by intracoronary optical frequency domain imaging. , 2008, JACC. Cardiovascular imaging.

[19]  Paul C. Beard,et al.  Photoacoustic characterisation of vascular tissue at NIR wavelengths , 2009, BiOS.

[20]  Stanislav Y. Emelianov,et al.  Development of a catheter for combined intravascular ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging. , 2010, The Review of scientific instruments.

[21]  N Bom,et al.  Characterization of plaque components and vulnerability with intravascular ultrasound elastography. , 2000, Physics in medicine and biology.

[22]  G. V. R. Born,et al.  INFLUENCE OF PLAQUE CONFIGURATION AND STRESS DISTRIBUTION ON FISSURING OF CORONARY ATHEROSCLEROTIC PLAQUES , 1989, The Lancet.

[23]  Antonio Colombo,et al.  Terminology for high-risk and vulnerable coronary artery plaques. Report of a meeting on the vulnerable plaque, June 17 and 18, 2003, Santorini, Greece. , 2004, European heart journal.