ABSTRACT
Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)—and its derived parameters—may contribute to the bioresorbable scaffolds (BRSs) assessment from procedural planning to acute/late vascular response and scaffold degradation rate. The IVUS equipment consists of a catheter incorporating a miniaturized transducer and a console to reconstruct and display the image. Grayscale IVUS imaging is formed by the amplitude of the radiofrequency signal. Differential echogenicity uses the conventional grayscale acquired image to classify tissue according to use as a reference the mean level of the adventitia brightness. This chapter summarizes IVUS parameters used in BRSs assessment. The vessel area, scaffold area, lumen area, intrascaffold neointimal area, and luminal area stenosis are measured using a computer-based contour detection program. The software calculates the echogenicity as a volume and percentage for each scaffolded segment. Palpography assesses the local mechanical properties of the coronary plaque. It measures the relative displacements of back scattered radio frequency signals, recorded during IVUS acquisition with a commercially available catheter.
