Experience with the Multimodality Near-Infrared Spectroscopy/Intravascular Ultrasound Coronary Imaging System: Principles, Clinical Experience, and Ongoing Studies

Coronary near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a catheter-based imaging technique that can reliably detect lipid core plaques in the coronary artery wall. NIRS has now been combined with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in a single catheter. The combined NIRS/IVUS instrument provides all the information obtained by IVUS and adds lipid detection by NIRS. The instrument can detect large lipid core plaques that are at increased risk of causing...