Comparison of Early Coronary Artery Calcification with Intravascular Ultrasound and Micro Computed Tomography

Background Early calcification is a strong predictor of unstable plaque and acute coronary events. Clinical intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) with a resolution of ~200 µm is a sensitive measure of calcification, but has never been compared to micro computed tomography (micro CT), which has ~10-fold higher spatial resolution. IVUS is performed by producing sound waves to produce a 360-degree cross-sectional image of the vascular wall while micro-CT...