Abstract
Blood vessels are one of the most essential organs, which nourish all tissues in our body. Once there are intravascular plaques or vascular occlusion, other organs and circulatory systems will not work properly. Therefore, it is necessary to detect abnormal blood vessels by intravascular imaging technologies for subsequent vascular treatment. The emergence of lasers and fiber optics promotes the development of intravascular imaging and treatment. Laser imaging techniques can obtain deep vascular images owing to light scattering and absorption properties. Moreover, photothermal and photomechanical effects of laser make it possible to treat vascular diseases accurately. In this review, we present the research progress and applications of laser techniques in intravascular imaging and treatment. Firstly, we introduce intravascular optical coherent tomography and intravascular photoacoustic imaging, which can obtain various information of plaques. Multimodal intravascular imaging techniques provide more information about intravascular plaques, which have an essential influence on intravascular imaging. Secondly, two laser techniques including laser angioplasty and endovenous laser ablation are discussed for the treatment of arterial and venous diseases, respectively. Finally, the outlook of laser techniques in blood vessels, as well as the integration of laser imaging and treatment are prospected in the section of discussions.
Highlights
Blood vessels constitute the first organ and form the largest network in our body, which supplies nutrients and oxygen, as well as removing metabolic waste [1, 2]
Arterial thrombosis is an important cause of peripheral arterial diseases (PAD) and Coronary artery disease (CAD), which leads to serious consequences such as acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and cerebrovascular diseases [5,6,7]
We describe the state of the art of developments and applications of photoacoustic imaging (PAI) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) in intravascular imaging
Summary
Blood vessels constitute the first organ and form the largest network in our body, which supplies nutrients and oxygen, as well as removing metabolic waste [1, 2]. Conventional imaging techniques for vascular lesions provide anatomical and morphological information about vascular diseases, which cannot obtain intravascular images [15] Intravascular imaging techniques, such as intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), optical coherence tomography (OCT), photoacoustic imaging (PAI), can obtain lumen size and length of vessel without the artifacts inherent to angiography [16]. IVUS overcomes the inherent limitations of other techniques, providing images of arterial walls and permitting detections of early-stage atherosclerosis as well as measurement of plaques [19]. Imaging-guided laser technology for the treatment of intravascular diseases has an excellent prospect of clinical transformation. We summarize the state of the art of laser wavelengths and fiber optic catheters in intravascular imaging and therapy. Aging and Disease Volume 13, Number 1, February 2022 laser in vascular imaging and treatment
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