ABSTRACT
Bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVSs) have been proposed as the fourth revolution in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The rationale of BVS use is based on the concept of so-called "vascular restoration therapy", which is based on the temporary scaffolding provided by the bioresorbable prosthesis, as opposed to the permanent caging determined by drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has become the gold standard for the invasive assessment of plaque morphology and strut apposition compared with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). After BVS implantation, there are several things that should be carefully observed with OCT. OCT can provide a precise estimation of lesion length, enabling a complete plaque sealing by BVSs, and thus potentially improving both the short-term result through the reduction of the risk of edge dissection and the long-term outcome through the BVS-mediated vessel reparative process, which could be particularly important in the case of residual vulnerable plaque.
