Angioscopic image-enhanced observation of atherosclerotic plaque phantom by near-infrared multispectral imaging at wavelengths around 1200 nm

Abstract

Spectroscopic techniques have been researched for intravascular diagnostic imaging of atherosclerotic plaque. Nearinfrared (NIR) light efficiently penetrates of biological tissues, and the NIR region contains the characteristic absorption range of lipid-rich plaques. The objective of this study is to observe atherosclerotic plaque using a NIR multispectral angioscopic imaging. Atherosclerotic plaque phantoms were prepared using a biological tissue model and bovine fat. For the study, we developed an NIR multispectral angioscopic imaging system with a halogen light, mercury-cadmiumtelluride camera, band-pass filters and an image fiber. Apparent spectral absorbance was obtained at three wavelengths, 1150, 1200 and 1300 nm. Multispectral images of the phantom were constructed using the spectral angle mapper algorithm. As a result, the lipid area, which was difficult to observe in a visible image, could be clearly observed in a multispectral image. Our results show that image-enhanced observation and quantification of atherosclerotic plaque by NIR multispectral imaging at wavelengths around 1200 nm is a promising angioscopic technique with the potential to identify lipid-rich plaques.