ABSTRACT
Grayscale intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is now established as an invaluable adjunctive tool in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and it provides accurate and detailed anatomical information with regard to both the reference vessel and stents following implantation. Bioresorbable scaffolds (BRSs) are promising for the treatment of coronary artery disease and are characterized by complete scaffold absorption. The coronary angiogram remains the "gold standard" for the assessment of coronary artery disease. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an alternative intravascular imaging modality. IVUS-guided optimization after metal stent implantation has been clearly demonstrated to improve outcomes. In the bare metal stent (BMSs) era, adequate stent expansion with high-pressure balloon dilatation confirmed by IVUS was found to result in a significant reduction in restenosis and stent thrombosis and this concept has been extended to newer stents. The radial force of BRSs seems to be comparable to the cobalt-chromium metallic stent.
