Abstract
BackgroundComposition of atherosclerotic arterial walls is rich in lipids such as cholesterol, unlike normal arterial walls. In this study, we aimed to utilize this difference to diagnose atherosclerosis via multispectral fluorescence imaging, which allows for identification of fluorescence originating from the substance in the arterial wall.MethodsThe inner surface of extracted arteries (rabbit abdominal aorta, human coronary artery) was illuminated by 405 nm excitation light and multispectral fluorescence images were obtained. Pathological examination of human coronary artery samples were carried out and thickness of arteries were calculated by measuring combined media and intima thickness.ResultsThe fluorescence spectra in atherosclerotic sites were different from those in normal sites. Multiple regions of interest (ROI) were selected within each sample and a ratio between two fluorescence intensity differences (where each intensity difference is calculated between an identifier wavelength and a base wavelength) from each ROI was determined, allowing for discrimination of atherosclerotic sites. Fluorescence intensity and thickness of artery were found to be significantly correlated.ConclusionsThese results indicate that multispectral fluorescence imaging provides qualitative and quantitative evaluations of atherosclerosis and is therefore a viable method of diagnosing the disease.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12938-016-0220-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Composition of atherosclerotic arterial walls is rich in lipids such as cholesterol, unlike normal arterial walls
We further evaluated the diagnostic model by creating a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve using thickness of arterial wall and corresponding pathological judgment
We have demonstrated that multispectral fluorescence imaging is a useful and easy method for the detection of atherosclerotic sites
Summary
Composition of atherosclerotic arterial walls is rich in lipids such as cholesterol, unlike normal arterial walls. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death globally and killed an approximate 17.5 million people worldwide in 2012; making up three in every 10 deaths [1]. Of this number, 7.4 million people died of ischemic heart disease. Existing imaging modalities that are frequently used in clinical practice, such as intravascular ultrasound and coronary angiography, do not present a comprehensive assessment of the arterial plaque and subsequently progression of disease as they are not able to distinguish among specific cellular and molecular biomarkers of atherosclerotic lesion. We proposed diagnosis of atherosclerosis using multispectral imaging technology
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